


like a thousand suns

by floren8



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alexandria Safe-Zone, Alpha Enid, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Omega Carl Grimes, One-Eyed Carl Grimes, Slow Burn, courting, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-09-18 12:19:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 39,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9384785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floren8/pseuds/floren8
Summary: Before the dead joined the living again, there used to be a proper way for an alpha to court an omega. Nothing was quite so certain now, what with the apocalypse and all. Besides, Carl was sure Enid was not courting him. Who would want a broken omega like him anyway? The busted eye was just the cherry on top.(Starts after 6x09.)





	1. Unofficial Day 1 (or Carl wakes up)

**Author's Note:**

> Why is this tag so lonely? These two deserve all the fics! So here I am, trying to bring some life into the Carlnid tag (with something no one will read, but whatever, it counts).
> 
> Also, this is unbetaed and I'm not an english native speaker, so if you catch any weird stuff feel free to let me know.
> 
> WARNING: There's a mention of canon attempted rape (with the Claimers) at the begining of this chapter, proceed with caution if it can trigger you. You can skip the last three paragraphs in the first scene or go straight to the first - mark if needed.

Being an omega had never really bothered Carl much when he was younger. Before everything happened and the dead started walking again, most of his friends had been betas, with the odd alpha lurking around. Lori, despite being a beta herself, had always been supportive and often told him not to listen to the stereotypes. Rick, as an alpha and an officer of the law, was privy to some of the more horrifying things alphas were capable of and reacted accordingly. To Carl, it meant being protected from monsters he didn’t know existed yet.

But that was before.

It was only after, when he got older and hormones started playing a much larger role that things changed.

While it had been just them, his family and pack living together at the prison, there had been no fear. Beth had been an omega too, rare as they were, and helped him through a lot of the transition from child to teenager. They would curl on her bunk sometimes, Judith between them, and soak in each others comforting omega scent. She had smelled mostly of flowers, like the wild ones along the road.

When the Woodbury survivors joined them he had been angry, with both the strangers intruding on their family and his dad for letting them. He knew the discomfort was in part due to the fear that things would go wrong again and more people he loved would die. That's why he killed the alpha boy outside the prison. Carl felt very protective of his people and their territory, but eventually it grew to encompass everyone else too.

Until the Governor came and the prison fell.

It was then, after days of hunger pains and sleeping on the side of the road with his dad and Michonne, that he first felt afraid of being an omega. The night was dark and the man’s grip was strong, disgusting breath on his hair and aroused alpha scent making him nauseous. Carl could vividly remember being forced to the ground, concrete scraping his skin as he was held down. He felt terrified, weak.

But watching as his dad, covered in blood from biting a man's throat out with his _teeth_ , tore the alpha open was satisfying. Not perfect, because he wanted to be the one driving the knife again and again into the asshole’s body. Feel the hot blood flowing down his own hands instead, staining his skin and his clothes.

That wasn’t a normal thing to want, he knew. It was better than feeling weak, he tried to reason, better than flinching every time an alpha accidentally got too close. Carl was just another monster and no excuse would change that.

-

After getting shot, Carl woke up slowly. It was kind of like going to sleep, but in reverse. At first, he was only sort of aware, the sudden feeling of the sheets coarse around him and the faint chill in the air. Then other things started registering, the sound of a low voice beside him and something warm covering his hand. His fingers curled up automatically, around what he realized was another hand, and his eyes fluttered open to stare at the ceiling.

Well, his _eye_ opened.

“Carl?” Rick spoke beside him, bringing him fully back to reality.

A reality where Ron Anderson shot him in the eye.

“Hey,” The boy answered, voice rough from disuse and sleep. Potent alpha smell permeated the room, the usual citrus of his dad’s scent lingering underneath the strong sense of protectiveness. Carl’s omega instincts kicked in, the presence of his familial alpha making him feel safe. “What happened? Is everyone…”

“We’re fine.” His dad replied when he trailed off, unable to finish the question. “Everythin’s okay now. How you feelin’? Any pain?”

Carl took stock of his body, not finding any pain, only a slight discomfort where his eye was supposed to be. He hadn’t seen the wound yet, but he doubted a _bullet_ would have left anything salvageable behind.

“I’m okay.” He told him, left hand lifting to trace the underside of the wide bandage wrapped around his head. His chest clenched and the omega swallowed back tears. Carl had already been damaged on the inside before, but now he was matching on the outside. “Doesn’t hurt.”

“That’s good. Denise gave you somethin’ for the pain, it should be wearin’ out soon though.” Rick squeezed his other hand, the one still curled around his as he watched Carl explore. “I’ll let her know you’re awake.”

The teen nodded at the alpha, squeezing back briefly before letting him go. Rick walked out, leaving the door open behind him as he went looking for their doctor. He was glad nothing had happened to his dad, even if it meant that the bullet hit him instead. They were both alive and that was good enough. Had to be.

Despite his dark thoughts, filled with everything that could have gone wrong, Carl was almost dozing off by the time the older man returned with Denise in tow.

“You’re awake, that’s good.” She started, approaching the bed with a smile. Each of her hands held what looked like a pill bottle. “Rick said you’re not feeling pain?”

“Just feels weird.” The omega explained, not really knowing how to describe the sensation.

Denise came closer, peering at him without actually lifting the bandage, and said, “Well, that would be the pain meds. I’m giving you the good stuff.” The beta deposited the bottles on the bedside table, freeing her hands so she could feel the bit of his forehead peaking out under the white gauze. “No fever, hopefully the antibiotics will keep infection away but you’ll need to clean the wound daily.”

“I’ll make sure he does.” Rick agreed from his place beside the door, watching as Denise fluttered around him. She felt his pulse and checked his other eye too, testing his reflexes with her finger.

“I’m not changing your bandages again today, so don’t poke it took much.” Denise finally backed away, looking at him sternly before continuing, “Unless you wanna see it?”

It came out uncertain, a question mark clear in the end, but Carl was shaking his head on the _see_. No, he didn’t want to see it. Ideally he would never have to, never mind how unpractical that was. It was just another thing that made him broken, different, less. The thought of having to wear an eye-patch made him nauseous.

The omega wanted nothing to do with that man.

“Okay. You should take one of these every six hours.” Denise nodded, clearly deciding not to push the issue and pointed to the bottles beside her. “I also want you to spend another night here, but you can go tomorrow.” She told him, stern gaze landing on both him _and_ Rick this time as she kept going. “You’re both learning how to clean and bandage the wound before.”

“We will.” His dad agreed, promise clear in his tone.

Maybe Carl could, like, look the other way?

“Then we’re done!” The beta exclaimed, smiling at Carl as she walked backwards towards the door and nodding to Rick respectfully. “I’ll bring you some food later and, oh, a toothbrush. You’ll need that.”

And she was gone.

Carl sighed, tired again even thought he had slept through most of the day. The sun was now dipping under the horizon, sky painted in oranges and pinks. The boy turned to his dad, sensing the man’s gaze on him.

“What?” He asked, reminding himself that Rick couldn’t read minds and had no way of knowing what was going on in his head.

“Nothin’.” The alpha answered, intensity diminishing as his mouth twitched into a smile. “Just happy you’re here.”

“Me too.”

Before anything else could be said, Michonne showed up at the door, bundle of clothes in her arms and a relived smile on her face.

“Carl…” The beta stepped forward quickly, leaving her cargo at the foot of the bed so she could drop a kiss on his forehead unhindered. His chest felt warm at the touch, even if the bandages were on the way, nose filled with her cinnamon scent. “I brought you the clothes your dad forgot.”

“You did remind me three times.” Rick added, somewhat sheepishly, smiling at the exchange. “But I didn’t want to leave Carl alone for long.”

The omega snorted, finding the thought of his dad being forced to shower (instead of lingering filthy with blood on his bedside) hilarious. Michonne probably had to drag him away. It also made him feel guilty for worrying the man so much.

Michonne narrowed her eyes at him playfully before turning back to Carl, “Want help getting dressed?”

“I can do it.” He replied, appreciating that she didn’t use to word _need_.

“Okay.” She agreed, stepping back so he could get up. “You want anything else? Hungry? Thirsty?”

Carl sat up slowly, trying to pretend it didn’t make him a little dizzy. Neither of the other two commented on it, but they both watched closely as he lowed his legs to the side. Feet touching the ground, he considered Michonne’s question. Taking a deep breath, he shifted his weight forward and got up. He swayed a little, Michonne and Rick quickly stepping in, hands holding him steady.

“Sorry.” Carl apologized, feeling like an idiot for not accepting help before.

“No need to be sorry.” Rick said, voice firm as Michonne nodded her agreement. Leaving the beta hovering close in case he felt unsteady again, his dad reached for the clothes. “Here.”

The flannel was easy, his arms sliding in without effort. The buttons where another story though, as his hands shook and he fumbled with them before Michonne pushed him away. He let her do it, flushing with embarrassment at his failure. The pants were next, but this time Rick crouched to help him, instead of letting him brain himself on the floor. Carl held onto his shoulder for support as he lifted his legs one by one.

Once he could reach without losing his balance, the omega pulled the sweatpants the rest of the way up and over the boxers he was already wearing. He really hoped his dad had been the one to change him before. Or Michonne.

“Thanks.” He told them, accepting Michonne’s help to sit back down. “Some water would be good.”

“I’ll bring you a bottle.” She said, squeezing his shoulder. “You tired?”

Carl nodded, smiling slightly at them both, and said, “Yeah. Just gonna sleep some more.”

“We’ll come back in the morning then.” The alpha reminded, reaching for him as well. The comforting weight of his dad’s hand firm on the nape of his neck was reassuring and Carl felt better knowing he’d smell like both of them now, like pack.

He wanted to see the others, make sure they were alive and well, but it would have to wait until tomorrow.

-

The second time Carl woke was sudden, the sound of knocking jolting him into consciousness. He had no idea how long he slept, but it was dark now, orange glow gone from the room. The air was definitively colder, making the omega shiver as he sat up. At least he was wearing clean clothes now, the flannel and sweatpants combination courtesy of Michonne.

Someone knocked again, reminding Carl of why he was awake at all. He raised his voice to be heard through the door and said, “Come in.”

The alpha who walked in was not who he expected. She came in tray first, balancing it with one hand while the other pushed the door open. With long hair and pale skin, Enid looked the same. As if she had never left at all. Carl hadn’t asked his dad about anyone specifically, least of all her, afraid of what he might hear. Or not hear. She did _leave_ after all.

“Hi.” She greeted, stopping at the threshold. “Denise asked me to bring you this.” Enid nodded to the tray in her hands, where Carl could see meat and vegetables neatly arranged on a plate. Carol’s work probably.

“Thanks.” The boy said, feeling awkward. There were a million things going through his head, a million questions he wanted to ask. Why did she leave? Where did she go? Why was she back? But all he said was, “Come in,” again.

She did, walking around the bed to hand him the tray. Carl reached for it, but his hands still shook a little for some reason (pain, fear, flashes of rain mingled with the sight of mangled corpses around them) and he couldn’t take hold. Enid was watching him, eyes going from his hands to his face before she lowered the food herself. Face warm, he dropped his empty hands back to the bed.

“Carol made it.” The alpha told him, voice neutral.

When Carl didn’t reply, thinking she might take a hint and leave, she sat down instead. Whatever, he thought, picking up the knife and fork on the tray. He wasn’t sure why she was here at all, but he was hungry and his wound itched and she _left him behind_. The only evidence she even existed at all being a piece of paper with _just survive somehow_ written on it.

“Michonne told me what happened.” Enid started, she sounded determined and the usual rosemary scent she carried around with her was strong in the air. “About Ron.”

Shaking. Why wouldn’t his hands stop shaking? Carl brought them up towards the plate anyway, wanting to cut a piece of meat but ended up scrapping the knife against the ceramic uselessly. His motor skills felt off balance, ability to aim clearly fucked.

Hands, steady and warm, curled around his and gently helped him try again. Enid leaned in, briefly letting go so she could pull the chair forward. The omega could feel the tips of her hair brushing against his forearm softly, faces inches apart. Together, hand in hand, they cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. When they finished, she guided the knife back to the tray before releasing him entirely. Fork in hand, Carl slowly started eating (he had to aim for his mouth too).

There was a contentedness in the rosemary scent surrounding the alpha that confused and soothed him in equal amounts. He wasn’t sure what had just happened, but he felt cared for, safe. Not weak or embarrassed like he did at first. She didn’t back away, still crowding his space when he looked at her again. He wanted to thank her, but couldn’t find the words.

“I’m sorry, Carl.” Enid whispered instead, eyes locked with his. The happiness of the moment melted away a little as she continued, “You were right. I shouldn’t have given up on this place. Leaving was not the answer. I… I was scared.”

Gaze lowering to watch his hands instead of him, Carl saw how much she struggled with the admission. She did smell faintly of fear, but it was overpowered by something he couldn’t identify.

“I was scared too.” Carl admitted, food forgotten in front of him. He didn’t want to be angry or hurt, he just wanted his friend back. “For Judith, for you, my dad, everyone. We were attacked.”

Enid’s eyes were filled with what looked like admiration, but surely wasn’t. He hadn’t done anything worth admiring.

“You don’t see it, I know, but you’re so much stronger than me.” The alpha said, sad smile curling her mouth upwards. “I was so scared of loss that I gave up. Glenn told me _that’s_ how you lose people and he’s right. I’m tired of running away.”

Carl considered what she was really telling him, that she was going to stay and be a proper part of this pack from now on.

“You’re strong too, you know.” He told her, smiling back, happy.

“Finish your food, dork.” Enid rolled her eyes at him, clearly done with their little heart to heart, at least for the moment.

Things weren’t magically fixed, Carl knew, hurt still lingering small on the back of his head. But this was the first step.

He ate as he considered the conversation, trying to place the weird _something_ in Enid’s scent. The alpha watched him silently, rosemary scent a mixture of this new thing and happiness. No conclusion had been reached by the time his plate was empty and Carl was seriously doubting his ability to read scents. She would tell him if it was important, he supposed, but so much communication only ever happened through scents that she might assume he understood.

“You okay?” Enid asked, breaking him away from his derailing train of thought. She was frowning at him and Carl realized he had been staring into space with his fork in the air for a couple of minutes.

“Yeah, sure.” He answered, giving her a small smile. His wound was staring to throb a little though and he wondered if it was time to take the pills yet. “What time is it?”

The girl looked from her watch to the bottles on the bedside table before saying, “Ten o’clock. What’s the schedule for those?”

“One of each every six hours.” Carl told her distractedly, trying to figure out if he should be taking them again or not. “Can you hand them to me?”

Enid nodded, giving him the half empty water bottle (again courtesy of Michonne) before reaching for the pills. Instead of passing him the bottles, as he thought she would, the alpha separated a pill from each. She carefully screwed the lid back on and deposited them on the bedside table again.

“Here.” She presented the tablets to him with a strange sort of flourish, making him blink at the gesture.

“Thanks...” Carl said, unsure about what was going on, but swallowing the pills anyway.

Cheeks faintly pink and eyes fixed on the bed sheets, the alpha mumbled, “You’re welcome.”

Embarrassment was clear in her scent this time and Carl thought it was cute (though he still had no clue _why_ she was embarrassed). She took the water back from him when he was done, leaving it on the bedside table before reaching for the tray.

“You’re not still hungry, are you? ‘Cause I can get more.” Enid asked, gaze shifting between him and the tray on her lap.

“Don’t think I can eat anymore, but thanks.” The omega replied, smiling faintly at her. “Can you, uh…”

After sleeping for so long, Carl felt wide-awake. He knew sleep would come when the meds kicked in, but for now it seemed farfetched. The throbbing in his wound had gotten worse, a constant reminder of everything he lost (a friend, a part of his pack, another family gone, his _sight_ ). He didn’t want to be alone with that feeling, but he didn’t know how to ask and the words got stuck in his throat.

“What? Do you want something else? I can get it.” The alpha said, looking ready to spring off her chair and do just that.

“No, it’s nothing like that. I…” Carl hesitated, eye fixed on his fidgeting hands as he finished. “Can you stay a bit? It’s just, the pills will make me sleepy soon but…”

“Of course I’ll stay, dumbass.” Enid interrupted his fumbling with a smile, right hand steadying his with a touch. “I was gonna do it anyway.”

Her skin was warm and while Carl knew hands didn’t hold scents well (they tended to do more of the opposite, actually), he hoped his would smell of rosemary at least for a little while. Their scents had already mingled in the air, the sense of safety and pack surrounding Carl. The instinct to nest crept up on him and he felt the urge to pile all the blankets in the world around him.

Nesting was common omega behaviour, Beth told him once, especially around heats and when the omega was hurt or upset. It was done for comfort, mostly. Carl had never had a heat before ( _defective, broken_ ), but getting shot in the eye probably fit into the hurt category. He was too young, the first time he got shot, to really feel the urge, but he and Beth had nested together plenty at the prison. And Michonne had joined him once when they arrived in Alexandria.

It had been awhile since the last time he did this.

“Are there any blankets around?” Carl asked, fidgeting for another reason now. He wasn’t sure how much Enid knew about omegas, they had never really talked about that stuff and he was the only omega currently living in the community. “The big, fluffy ones maybe?”

Shit, this was embarrassing. The only other alpha who had ever helped him with this was Rick, but his dad had done plenty of research on omega behaviour when they found out his dynamic. So he never had to explain anything to the man.

“Oh.” Enid breathed out, apparently getting what he actually wanted. She smiled at him, looking happy before saying, “I’ll check in the closet and if there aren’t any I’ll got get you some, okay? You need more pillows or something?”

“No, just… just the blankets.” He answered, watching as she got up to look (tray left forgotten on the floor). “Thanks.”

The girl was shifting through the contents stored in the only closet in the room, pulling out extra pillows and sheets to reach the winter blankets in the back. Carl let out a little sigh when he saw them, glad she wouldn’t have to go running to his house for his own stuff.

“You don’t have to thank me. I offered, didn’t I?” The alpha said, voice sounding muffled as she dragged a couple of huge blankets out. She added another two to the pile, these were less fluffy and more of the ratty kind, but it would add layers anyway. “Is this okay? Or should I get more?”

“It’s fine.” Carl assured her, eyeing the pile with longing. It would make a decent nest, though not perfect. But he didn’t want her to leave yet, so sacrifices had to be made.

“Good.” Enid lifted the pile with ease, alpha strength clear despite her slight frame. The omega knew very well how heavy some of those winter blankets could be, having dragged enough of them around.

As she reached the bed, bundle in her arms, she hesitated, clearly unsure where to put it. Carl usually arranged his nests while standing up, carefully constructing them before getting in. But he knew better than to trust his legs to hold him up that long and didn’t want to depend on Enid too much. She’d probably get sick of it quickly.

Making a decision, he said, “You can leave them on the floor beside the bed or on my legs, I’ll just pull them up.”

“You sure? I can help if you want, I’ll hand them to you or something.” She offered, depositing the blankets on the chair she had been using before. “Or not. Sorry, I don’t know much about omega nest making strategies.”

“Nest making strategies? Really? It’s not _that_ complicated.” He snorted, amused at the thought that there was a strategy to his nests. It was a good idea though, letting her help him. “Okay, hand me one of the bigger ones first.”

“Says the omega making them.” Enid grumbled as she pulled a fluffy blue blanket from the pile, small smile curving her lips. “This one?”

“Yeah.”

They worked together on the nest for a while, the alpha watching as he arranged the blankets this way and that to make a cosy sort of base before adding the layers around. Carl finished by draping the other big blanket over everything, including him. Only his head and arms poked out from his now reclining position between the blankets, and he sighed with relief.

“So that’s what a nest looks like. Very impressive.” She said, looking half teasing half serious.

“Thanks. You’re a good nest assistant, we should do this more often.” Carl froze as he realized what had come out of his mouth. Shit. This was a one-time thing because he couldn’t do it by himself, but omegas generally nested by themselves or with other omegas, rarely with a very close beta. Usually alphas only participated in nest making if they were family or a mate.

He considered all his family very close to him, but would only invite a select few to do this. Mostly the ones he’d known the longest, like Maggie and Glenn or Daryl and Carol. Michonne too, obviously, and his dad.

Enid was neither his familial alpha nor his mate, and this had gotten awkward pretty fast.

The girl didn’t seem to know the significance of the offer or maybe she was pretending to let him save face. Either way all she did was smile and say, “Cool, we should do a bigger one next time.”

“Yeah.” Carl chocked out, floored by how much he actually wanted there to be a next time. He wisely kept that to himself though. “I think I’m going to sleep now, the pills are working already.”

Smooth Carl, _so damn awkward_ she’ll never notice.

“Okay.” Enid replied, tucking a strand of her long hair behind her ear. “Any last minute requests?”

“I’m good, thanks.” He told her, relaxing a little when she took his weirdness in stride. She always had anyway.

The boy really was starting to feel sleepy though, eyelid heavy and body melting into the nest like butter. Enid seemed to take that as her cue to leave, lifting the tray and giving him a small smile.

“I’ll come visit you again tomorrow, okay?” The alpha said and he nodded back, brain too muddled by the pain meds at this point to remember he was getting discharged tomorrow. Or the Denise equivalent at any rate.

Enid hesitated, shifting on her feet beside the bed as she watched him. Decision apparently made, she abandoned her cargo on the chair and approached him again. Carl didn’t have time to do more than inhale sharply when she leaned over, hands balanced on either side of his head, and kissed him on the forehead.

With one last unreadable look, she retrieved the tray and left.

Carl struggled to sleep after that, physically tired but his mind refused to shut up.


	2. Unofficial Day 2 (or Enid has important conversations)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enid had never done this before and it showed. She could barely remember most of what she learnt about alpha/omega courting in school and from her parents. They had been a beta couple themselves and theory was all they could provide her with. That would only get her so far now.

Carl woke up feeling better than he had in a while, tangled in blankets and wishing he never had to leave. Alas, the hole in his head had other ideas. It itched and throbbed, constantly reminding him of what happened. He reached for the pain tablets, swallowing one along with the antibiotics, cool water easing the way.

The omega checked his nest, making sure everything was still mostly in place and tucking in any stray corners that weren’t. His cheeks felt hot when he thought about the night before and the offer he made to Enid. Part of him hoped she’d never bring it up again, while another couldn’t wait until she _did_.

The room was faintly illuminated by the morning sun, sky bright and cloudless outside. He relaxed back into his blankets, dozing a little until Denise walked in and jolted him back into consciousness. Carl wanted to complain about having to detangle from his nest in order to do something he _did not want to_ , but refrained. It was important and he didn’t want to sound childish.

Learning how to change the bandage around his eye (and clean it) was a pain in the ass. The gauze was unwrapped from his head a dozen times, his dad and Michonne (who tagged along because she wanted to know) carefully wrapping it up again each time. Carl fumbled a lot when it was his turn, the shaking had abated during the night but his depth perception was still skewed.

Not to mention the mirror.

It wasn’t very big and Michonne held it in front of him so he could see what he was doing. The wound was ugly, deep and red, while the skin around it was pink and uneven. As if someone had hooked their fingers in his socket and forced it open. Smaller cuts ran along the outside and down to his temple. His stomach rolled with disgust the longer he was forced to look at it, trying to pretend he wasn’t about to throw up on their feet. The monster of his nightmares was real, all he was missing was a tank.

Enid showed up again as they were leaving.

“Getting discharged?” She asked him, seeming surprised. To the other two she added, “Hi.”

“Good morning.” Michonne said, smiling at the girl.

“Enid.” Rick nodded to her, looking between her and Carl with something like suspicion in his eyes.

“Yeah, Denise thinks I’d be more comfortable at home. Still on bed rest though.” The boy answered before his dad could add anything else.

“You two must be busy, I can take it from here. I’ll make sure he gets home safe.” Enid suggested, sounding sure of her ability to do just that. Giving him a look, she continued, “Make sure he takes whatever medication he has to and rests.”

Carl made a face at the mention, pill bottles heavy in his hands. He wasn’t feeling as magnanimous about the idea of spending another day in bed as he had been before leaving his nest. His dad’s hand firmly wrapped around his bicep, helping steady him, told another story. It reminded him of his still fucked up balance and even worse depth perception. Never mind fine motor skills.

“Thank you, Enid, but we’ve got it.” His dad’s gravelly voice sounded neutral, but Carl knew the man better than anyone. And the overprotectiveness in his scent kind of gave it away.

Rick had never reacted to Enid like that before, though the omega had come home reeking of her and the woods plenty of times. He frowned, not sure what had triggered this sudden reluctance to let the other alpha near him. Sure the blankets of his nest still held faint traces of rosemary this morning, but his dad hadn’t said anything.

Michonne broke the awkward silence, trying to diffuse the situation, with, “You should come by later, keep Carl company after he’s settled.”

Enid looked at Rick before lowering her gaze, neck slightly bent to the side as she visibly deferred to the pack leader’s authority.

“I can bring some comics over, ones Carl hasn’t read yet.” Her voice held a determined hint under the overall respectful tone. “And anything else he might want.”

Honestly, at this point Carl could admit to himself he had no clue what was going on. He stole a glance a Michonne, finding her watching the proceedings with an amused smile. They all waited for Rick’s answer, but the omega was itching to do it instead. She didn’t need to go through so much trouble for him, he’d probably sleep most of the day anyway.

“I’m sure Carl will like that.” The alpha relented, if a little reluctantly. “Thank you, Enid.”

The two teenagers exchanged smiles, happy with the outcome. Carl felt like he was missing something, some kind on undercurrent to this conversation, but shrugged it off.

-

Enid had never done this before and it showed. She could barely remember most of what she learnt about alpha/omega courting in school and from her parents. They had been a beta couple themselves and theory was all they could provide her with. That would only get her so far now.

She knew Carl wasn’t in the right state of mind to consent to a courtship right now, and it had taken all her self-control to kiss him in the forehead instead of his pink lips. Especially after he all but asked her to nest with him. Sort of. He had been mortified about it and she didn’t think that was a good sign.

And he’d looked surprised after the kiss.

Sighing, the alpha slid one of the comic piles she had painstakingly separated on her bed into her backpack, eyeing one of the others to take on her arms. Enid just wanted him to stop smelling so sad all the time, the negative emotions souring his usually pleasant petrichor scent. She wanted him to be happy (and there was no denying she wanted to be at least part of the reason why).

Carl had a hard time speaking about his feelings and his past, but the girl was determined to talk things out. Enid was aware she was just as bad, and a hypocrite for wanting him to open up and not doing it herself, so she had come up with a plan. The omega was also skittish when they went anywhere near the topic of dynamics, and she meant to tackle that too.

Not today though, not while he was still mostly high on pain meds.

She could lay down some groundwork in the mean time, be there for him and give him gifts. Those were a part of courtship, right? Adjusting the heavy backpack on her shoulders, as well as the extra pile of comic books in her arms, Enid realized she needed help. Carl was the only omega she knew and asking him _that_ wasn’t in the plan, obviously. There were a couple of other alphas, but betas still outnumbered them.

Rick was out of the question, though she clearly needed to ask his permission soon. This morning had been tense. Abraham was the only other option, but Enid barely knew him. She wasn’t comfortable sharing something so personal with a stranger, even if the ginger man was a part of Carl’s family.

Decided, Enid set out across the community.

The alpha found the woman she was looking for on the first try, high on the wall keeping watch. Rosita was at the bottom, clearly on gate duty. They nodded to each other as she passed, climbing the ladder up to the platform. Machine gun in hand, Maggie smiled when she noticed her.

“Hey,” The beta greeted, her heavy accent dragging the word. “You okay?”

“Hi.” Enid replied, giving her a small smile. “I’m fine. You?”

“I’m good.” Maggie told her, gaze shifting back outside.

Leaving her pile of comics by the side of the platform, the girl approached her, trying to think of a way to breach the subject. Not being one to beat around the bush, Enid blurted, “I want to court Carl.”

Maggie turned back to her, wide eyed at the sudden declaration. The alpha stood her ground, chin held high and determined to be taken seriously.

“Okay.” The older woman said, seeming to recover. Her face was blank when she asked, “Why?”

“Why?” She repeated, frowning. Carl was one of the most amazing people she had ever met, he was brave and kind and selfless. He didn’t shy away from the bad parts of their world, willing to kill to protect those he loved. But he was also capable of hope, had tried to show her she could too. He was the one person who understood her and she liked to think she understood him as well. “Because I love him.”

The smile stretching the pregnant beta’s face was radiant, as if Enid had just told her the walkers were gone and the apocalypse was over. The girl smiled back, heart lighter at finally admitting her feelings to someone, even if not the person who needed to hear them most. When Michonne told her Carl had been shot (he almost died and _she wasn’t there_ ), a weight had settled in her chest.

She had paced in front of his room in the hour Rick had been absent, not wanting to disturb him but needing to be close. Thoughts all over the place and a jumble of feelings that made her frustrated, she huffed angrily outside his door. Tara and Glenn had both come at different points to visit the omega, but promptly turned away at the sight of her. They had probably told the others, because no one else tried while she was there.

That was when she realized she was in love with Carl Grimes. She would have killed Ron if Michonne hadn’t done it already, blood boiling at the thought of the other boy. When Rick’s voice reached her from the front of the house, she finally stopped pacing and went home. She had an apology to make and a courtship to plan.

Now, admitting this to someone she thought of as family was liberating.

“I’m glad you found what you were lookin’ for.” Maggie told her, hand not holding the gun reaching out for her shoulder. “I’m sure he feels the same.”

“I’m not.” Enid said, eyes lowering to the beta’s high boots instead. “I know we’re friends, but I _left_.”

“If Carl had gone away and you stayed, would you forgive him?” She asked, ducking her head to try and catch the alpha’s gaze. “Carl has been through a lot and he learned not to trust people easily, but I know you understand that. Be careful with him and he’ll open up.”

“Yeah.” The girl replied, confidence flooring back at the words. Continuing, she looked back up, “I’d forgive him.”

“There’s your answer.” Maggie nodded, machine gun shifting from one hand to the other. “You tell him yet?”

“No.” Enid admitted, getting to the whole reason for this conversation. “Can you help me? I don’t know much about courting.” When Maggie looked like she was going to interrupt, she tried to explain, “I know you’re a beta, but… I trust you.”

“I trust you too.” Another smile was aimed her way as the older woman considered her request. “I’ve never done it, but my daddy was an alpha and my sister was an omega. What I know I learnt from them. I can tell you the parts I remember if you like.”

“Thank you.” The alpha breathed out, relief heavy on the word. “I want to do this right. For him.”

“I don’t know how much Rick told him, but my sister taught him a lot when he was younger. They were very close.” Her voice trailed off at the end, eyes far away and looking into distant times, way before Enid had met them. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate whatever you decide.”

The girl shook her head and said, “He deserves a proper courtship or as close to one as I can give him.”

She wasn’t backing down on this unless Carl asked her to.

“Okay,” Maggie agreed, seeming thoughtful as she checked the gates for approaching walkers. “I think presents were the first stage, Beth used to get many from alpha suitors. There were dates after that, daddy or Jimmy would always go with her. She never went beyond that with any of them, but she used to tell me they wanted to scent mark her.”

Enid nodded along, engraving every word in her head. Some of the plan had to be adjusted; it was missing the _dates_ part. What kind of date she could take him on in Alexandria was beyond her, but she’d figure it out. No chaperone though (unless Carl wanted one). They had been alone together enough times that it’d be pretty pointless.

“Gifts, dates, scent marking… then what?” Enid pressed, eager to know more. She was already thinking about other gifts for him, apart from the comics and some of the other things she had already separated back at her house. Flowers were romantic, right? Did omegas like flowers? Would _Carl_?

“That’s it, sorry. Beth never liked any of them enough to mate, which is the last step. Daddy once told me the whole thing could last around a year.” Maggie replied, looking thoughtful. “Beth used to take suppressants, so she’d have to stop if she decided to mate.”

“A year?” The alpha made a face at the woods outside, knowing a lot could happen in a year. Hell, in a single day she almost lost Carl, never mind a year. Something else occurred to her and she added, “I don’t think Carl takes suppressants.”

The older woman seemed to struggle with her next words, but ultimately said, “I think that’s something you should talk to him about.”

“I will.” Enid agreed, nodding. That was part of the plan already, they couldn’t do this without talking about heats and stuff. She almost rolled her eyes at the thought, _stuff_ made her sound twelve again. Sex, she meant sex, and all that came with it.

“I know.” Maggie told her, smiling softly. “Go get your man.”

“Thank you.” The girl breathed out, not sure how to demonstrate her gratitude with words. So for the first time in a really long time, Enid initiated a hug.

She stepped forward cautiously, racking her brain for the last time she did this and coming up blank. All she could remember was the last time Ron hugged her, right before the attack. The hug had been nice, ordinary and ultimately forgettable, but the look on Carl’s face when he saw them was burned in her mind. In hindsight, she bitterly regretted letting herself get hugged (the asshole _shot Carl_ a couple of days later). So no, Ron didn’t count and besides, he had always instigated all their hugs anyway.

Maggie welcomed her with open arms, literally, gun hanging from her shoulder and poking Enid on the side. It filled her with warmth regardless, the beta’s apple tree scent strong in her nostrils. With their arms wrapped around each other Enid felt safe, all her insecurities, her worries and problems suddenly seemed manageable. It made her want to cry just by thinking it, but it was like hugging her mother all over again.

“You can always talk to me.” Maggie whispered against her, fingers running through her long hair softly.

-

Enid knocked, heart beating fast with anticipation and carrying a shit ton of comics. It soured into nervousness when Rick opened the door, they stared at each other for a second before he shifted back to let her in. She straightened, hardening her resolve, and stepped inside (the door closing behind her). The living room was empty, Carl was probably up in his bedroom and Michonne was nowhere to be seen.

So they were having this conversation now then, cool.

The alpha knew she needed to argue her case carefully, too late now to worry about a good impression. Rick would either give her his blessing or he wouldn’t, that simple. What she would do if the second happened was uncertain, but Enid was going to fight for Carl until the end (or the beginning, whichever).

With a nonchalant air (that was only half forced), she started, “You’ve probably already guessed what I’m about to ask you, but I want to formally do it anyway.”

“Alright.” Rick said, nodding to her, arms crossed in front of him.

They were standing in the living room, barely two steps inside the house, but already the scent of pack was noticeable in the air around them. The whole house smelled of it, with a pronounced top layer of citrus, cinnamon and petrichor. Under that was a mixture of everyone else, individually indistinguishable but undeniably _them_.

“I want to court Carl.” Enid made sure to keep eye contact, appeasing a higher ranked alpha was less important than making her point. Her neck was slightly bent though, in the usual show of respect. “If he lets me.”

“You’re right, I knew that already.” He stated, something a little like amusement in his eyes. Turning serious again, he added, “And if he says no?”

“Then we’ll stay friends. I intend to be here for him no matter what.” Was her answer, voice steady and sure. “I won’t leave again. Not if I can help it.”

Rick seemed taken aback by her words, staring at her with raised eyebrows. Enid felt slightly proud that she’d managed to stun two older pack members at different points in the last three hours alone. She couldn’t wait to tell Carl. The older alpha walked towards the couch, bringing her back to the moment. He gestured for her to join him, still not saying anything.

Enid sat beside him warily, loose comics on her lap and backpack still on her shoulders.

“Enid,” Rick started, elbows resting on his thighs and hands between them. “I don’t think there’s anyone worthy of my son, but… if it had to be any alpha, then I’m glad it’s you.”

She blinked, unsure what had just happened. Was that permission? Where were the threats?

“Is that a blessing or…” The alpha trailed off, frowning at the man beside her.

“Yeah, you have my blessin’. Don’t make me regret givin’ it.” Rick elaborated, the corner of his lips twitching up. He had turned on his seat, leaning back against the cushions with an arm stretched over them.

“I won’t.” She promised, absolutely serious. She wouldn’t hurt Carl on purpose, not again. Enid looked towards the stairs, longing to join the omega she had come to see. “Can I see him?”

“I need to oversee the rebuilding of the wall.” He told her, nodding towards the door. “Will you stay with him until I’m back? Or until Michonne is done with her patrols?”

Eyes still on the stairs and mind already all the way up them, Enid knew she’d stay as long as they let her. Instead, she said, “I’ll look after him.”

Rick smiled, patting her on the shoulder lightly before standing. He motioned for her to go, an amused look on his face when he realized she was barely paying attention to him anymore. Sheepishly, and bending her neck one last time out of respect, Enid went.

-

Carl’s door was slightly open when she reached it and her breath hitched at the sight. Did he hear them? She really hoped not. Rick hadn’t taken as much convincing as she thought he would and none of her carefully constructed arguments were needed. In short, it had not been the romantic (or at the very least honest) display of feelings she wanted to make when asking Carl properly.

Hesitantly, Enid pushed the door wider and peeked inside.

The omega was asleep, half swallowed under a multitude of fluffy blankets. It was clearly another nest and it worried her a little, knowing they were supposed to provide comfort and security. At least he hadn’t heard any of the conversation she had with his dad, which was a relief. Plan Courtship was still a go.

She silently went in, leaving the door with the same crack she found it. There were no chairs in the room and since the bed was currently occupied Enid settled for the floor. Depositing her comics and backpack against the wall, she dragged over a couple of spare blankets. These had clearly not met Carl’s nest making standards, she thought with a smile. Folding them into the best cushion she could, Enid sat.

From her place she could see the corridor through the slight opening of the door, had a perfect view of the windows and the blue mass on the bed. Carl was buried so deep under his blankets that the only thing proving there was actually someone in there was some of his long hair flowing out at the top. Satisfied nothing would get past her, Enid pulled a couple of comics form her backpack (she hadn’t read these yet either) and resigned herself to waiting.

It was almost midday when Carl finally stirred and honestly, two hours on the floor were hard on her ass, blankets or not (it was heaven compared to the hard concrete of the road or the damp ground in the woods though).

“Enid?” The fluffy monstrosities piled over him muffled his voice, but she did manage make out her name.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Enid greeted, smiling as she watched him try to detangle himself. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got shot.” His voice was still muffled, but the words were like ice injected straight into her veins. The topmost blanket moved and his head poked out, he squinted at her with a frown. “Why are you on the floor?”

“Forget about me, does your eye hurt?” The alpha asked, shifting to her knees and closer to the bed. She inhaled softly, the amount of pain in his scent worrying her.

Carl pulled himself into a sitting position, back against the wall and blankets pooled on his lap. He focused his gaze on them and Enid got the feeling he was avoiding her eyes. Unthinking, she reached for his hands like she had the day before, squeezing the one closest to her.

“Yeah, it hurts a little.” Carl admitted reluctantly, but he squeezed back and Enid felt hope bubble in her chest. “Sorry.”

“Stop saying sorry, geez.” She admonished, knowing he probably couldn’t help it. “When was the last time you took your meds?”

“When I woke up this morning, I think. What time is it?” He asked, finally locking eyes with her. He still looked sleepy, face creased from the blankets he had been laying over.

Checking her watch, she told him, “Pretty much 12 o’clock. So it’s been what? Four hours?”

“Yeah.” The omega agreed, sighing tiredly. “Still another two to go.”

“Sorry.” Enid said, wracking her brain for something that could help him. A compress? No, that would hurt more. Ointment? Did Denise give him any? Maybe…

“Stop saying sorry, geez.” He mimicked, breaking her out of her thoughts. The mischievous smile curled on his lips made her want to kiss him senseless _and_ smack him upside the head.

“Very funny, dork.” The alpha poked her tongue at him instead, resisting the urge to shift closer until there was nothing between them.

“But seriously, don’t worry about me. It’s actually easing up a little.” Carl said, rolling his eye at her maturity. “I’m kind of hungry though.”

The girl watched him suspiciously, trying to figure out if he was lying or not. There was still plenty of pain in his scent, but she couldn’t tell if it was less than before. Deciding to let it got for now, Enid stood, hand sliding away from his.

“You okay to come down or should I bring you something?” She asked, nodding towards the door behind her.

“Let’s go down.” The omega picked, untangling himself from the nest completely and lowering his legs to the floor.

With a deep breath, he stood as well and Enid shifted back to give him some space. She was definitively sticking close to him on the stairs, regardless of how steady he looked as they made their way out of the room. When they got there, he put one of his hands on the wall while the other reached for her. Heart fluttering in her chest, Enid took it and they made their way down together.

She was disappointed when he pulled back, walking by himself the rest of the way into the kitchen. The house was still empty, neither Rick nor Michonne were back yet. Enid wasn’t entirely sure who else lived here with them and who occupied the other house with Maggie and Glenn. Either way, they were alone.

“Sit down.” Enid said, carefully keeping her tone from sounding like an order. Whatever the omega stereotypes said, Carl didn’t appreciate being told what to do very much. “You want anything specific?”

“Not really.” He replied, turning back to sit at the table without a fuss. “I think there’s some left over casserole in the fridge, Michonne said something about it earlier.”

There really was a piece of casserole in a container inside the fridge and Enid took it out, examining the contents carefully for mould before taking it to the table. She pulled plates and cutlery from the drawers, joining Carl when she was done. They ate in a comfortable silence; though the alpha made sure to check he was managing to eat without help. She knew he was stubborn enough not to ask for it.

She didn’t let him wash the dishes when they were done, but he took her hand again when they reached the stairs. There was a brief fight about the bed when he offered to share and she insisted on staying on the floor, but they settled not too long after. The rest of the day was spent in a similar fashion, with Carl alternating between napping and reading while Enid devoured a new paperback she had never read before.

It was dark by the time she left, the stars shining above her head. Enid felt lighter than, well, ever and she almost skipped back to her house. Not even the sight of it, lonely and empty (Olivia hardly counted), could bring her spirits down.

Plan Courtship was definitively a go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things I struggled with while writing this chapter: trying to keep Enid in character (which I don't know if I succeded in) and deciding what Carl's scent would be. But I hope you guys like it anyway :)
> 
> Also, I'm going away on vacation for about three weeks and I don't know how often I'll be able to post. I have chapter 3 and most of chapter 4 written so I might be able to post those along that time, but don't hold me to it. (And, no promises, but I'll try to write ch 5 before I go...)


	3. Unofficial Day 3, 4, 5 & 6 (or step 1 is implemented and Carl is confused)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was a lot to be said about being able to lay back and relax, especially after stressful events (and nothing shouted stressful like getting shot). But it had been hardly a full week and Carl was already going stir crazy. His dad and Michonne meant well, he knew, only nothing they did actually helped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, after a little vacation related delay, here's chapter 3. Enjoy!

There was a lot to be said about being able to lay back and relax, especially after stressful events (and nothing shouted _stressful_ like getting shot). But it had been hardly a full week and Carl was already going stir crazy. His dad and Michonne meant well, he knew, only nothing they did actually helped.

Enid, on the other hand, was a blessing and a curse.

While she was less strict than the two adults, and always careful not to use her alpha influence on him, she was also acting really weird. She brought him a bunch of comics the first day he was discharged, like she’d promised Rick she would. And it was great, because it took his mind off the pain and the memories.

Some of the other stuff she gave him during the course of the week had a less obvious use though.

-

The first time it happened Carl didn’t realize it was meant to be a gift of some sort and even tried to give it back. It was his second day back in the house (third since the herd broke in) and they were in the living room reading comics. Carol and Daryl were discussing something in the kitchen, the sound of their voices in the background soothing Carl.

He snapped back to reality when Enid cleared her throat from her place on the other side of the couch. The book she had been reading was forgotten on the coffee table and Carl could make out the Iron Man suit in one of the open pages.

“So…” The alpha started when it was clear she had his full attention. “I found something the other day.”

“What?” Carl asked, raising his remaining eyebrow at her, curious.

Bending forward, Enid searched through her backpack for a second before finding what she wanted. It was a cardboard box, about the size of his hand and worn looking (like most things these days). She hesitated for a second, holding it on her lap.

“Here.” She finally said, holding the mysterious box up in the space between them.

Carl left his own comic open on the armrest beside him and reached for the box. It was surprisingly heavy in his hands (whereas Enid made it look light as a feather), whatever was stored inside made no noise as he moved it to his own thighs. Slowly, he pulled the top open and peered inside.

It was… a snow globe?

He took it out carefully, eye taking in the intricate design. The base was brown and rough, like bark, with the glass dome on top. Tiny trees filled most of the space inside, but Carl could see grass and bushes at the bottom of them. That’s when he realized there was something else in there. Antlers getting lost into the canopy of the trees and body partially hidden behind the trunks, a deer stood, proudly staring back at him. It was exactly like the one he saw as a child (only the antlers were bigger) and his heart ached with nostalgia for times long past.

Swallowing the knot in his throat, Carl spoke, “Where did you find this?”

“In one of the houses out back.” Enid replied, watching carefully as he turned it upside down and back again. “Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful. I’m surprised it’s still whole.” The omega told her, too busy with the way the fake snow drifted onto the trees to see the blush spreading across her cheeks.

“Yeah, beautiful.” She agreed, gaze fixed on him rather than the snow globe in his hands. “I’m glad you like it.”

Finally managing to tear his eye away, Carl turned to the alpha beside him. There was a smile on her face along with the faint redness, her scent was filled with pride and happiness in the air around them. He smiled back, a thousand butterflies seeming to take flight inside him, their wings fluttering wildly along with his heart.

Something tugged inside his chest, drawing him towards her. He resisted, ignoring the strange sensations. With one last look at the deer, Carl regretfully put the snow globe back into its box and closed the top. It looked so ordinary from the outside, but it was hiding something amazing on the inside.

He tried to give it back to her, thinking she’d put it away and they would continue reading. Looking confused, she shook her head and made no move to retrieve the box.

“Oh, no. It’s for you.” Enid explained, giving him an embarrassed smile. “Like a gift.”

“A gift?” Carl echoed, he couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten one of those. Probably back when they were still living at the prison.

“Yes, idiot, a gift.” She rolled her eyes at him, seeming half amused half irritated in a way that was very familiar.

“Thank you.” The omega said emphatically, floored that she was giving this to him and electing to ignore that she called him an idiot while doing it.

“You’re welcome.”

And that was that.

-

The second time was a little less awkward, but maybe that was because they shared this present between them. Carl was up early that day, head full of ghosts and unable to sleep anymore. He’d dreamt about being on the road with his mom and the others, back during their first winter in the apocalypse (when Judith had still been living in Lori’s belly). Waking up to find his mother’s smile had existed only inside his head was painful.

So he went looking for his sister, not wanting to bother his dad or Michonne before they had to be up. Those two worked a lot and deserved all the rest they could get, especially now that they had to look after him too. Judy was still asleep in her crib, little face peaceful. He hoped her dreams were better than his. Do babies even dream? Carl had no idea, but he stayed there, sitting on the ground with his back against her crib.

That’s how Michonne found him a while later.

“Hey.” She greeted, looking between him and the sleeping Judith. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just couldn’t sleep.” The omega replied, finally getting back to his feet. “Are you leaving already?”

“Not yet, soon though.” Michonne told him, walking forward to stand over the crib with him. “Who would think she could be so vicious when she’s awake, right?”

He snorted, belatedly covering his mouth so the sound wouldn’t wake his sister. “No one, not until bath time anyway.”

“You’re telling me.” She said and they laughed together as silently as possible, but it was inevitable and soon Judith started stirring in her blankets. “Oh no, we woke the little beast.”

“Hey, she was fine until you got here.” Carl mock complained, the corners of his mouth still lifted into a smile.

“In that case, I’ll take her and feed her.” Michonne answered in the same tone, as if taking care of Judy was this great chore they both hated. That was far from the truth, since both of them loved the little girl more than anything. “By the way, Enid is downstairs.”

“What?” Carl blinked at her, side tracked from the teasing. Enid was where now?

“She got here a couple of minutes ago and Daryl let her in.” The beta explained, picking up his sister when she blinked owlishly up at them. “Should he not have?”

The way she asked that made Carl frown, unsure about why she even bothered when the answer was obvious. Warily, he replied, “Enid is always welcome here, isn’t she?”

“Of course.” Michonne agreed, smiling wide at him.

Judith, tired of being ignored, lifted her little arms towards him with an inquiring sound. At least that’s what it sounded like anyway, but Carl didn’t speak baby. He stepped closer to both of them, letting his sister’s fingers curl in his hair and his shirt. Not satisfied, she tried wiggling onto his arms.

“I can’t hold you right now, sorry.” He told her, not wanting to take the chance. She was getting heavier and with his balancing problems, the possibility that he might drop her was terrifyingly real.

Michonne was no help whatsoever, laughing at the pout Judith turned on him.

“C’mon kid, let’s get some food in you.” She said, adjusting the toddler on her hip as she walked towards the door. Carl winced slightly as Judy accidentally pulled on a knot in his hair while moving away (maybe he should brush it before going down). She made another sound, this one distressed, when Carl didn’t follow. “Your brother’s coming too, don’t worry. He’s got a guest waiting.”

The teasing smile Michonne shot him at the end made him roll his eye, but he went down with them dutifully. Enid had been coming over every day since his release and no amount of teasing would change how happy it made him. She was still here and she was staying here. With him.

So down the stairs they went, Michonne leading the way with his sister while he brought up the rear (or more accurately: while he carefully wobbled after them).

Enid wasn’t on the couch like he thought she would be, the sound of plates scrapping against wood pointing towards the dining room instead. She had been setting the table when they walked in, water bottles and plates carefully arranged for them (even Judith had a plastic one in front of her high chair).

“Hi.” Enid greeted, smiling at the three of them. “I hope you guys are hungry.”

“We’re always hungry.” Michonne replied, walking forward to settle Judy on her chair. His sister made a happy noise, as if agreeing with that assessment.

“Yeah.” Carl said, coming closer as well. He hesitated by the side of the table though, unsure where he was supposed to sit. They usually just pulled the first chairs available. “Uh…”

Enid grabbed his arm and gently directed him to sit beside where she stood, a plate and a water bottle set in front of him. He suppressed a sigh when her hand slid away, looking down at the table to avoid Michonne’s knowing gaze. This was so awkward, holy shit.

The alpha moved away for a second, before returning with a tray. As she arranged it on the table, Carl realized the brown thing in the middle was chocolate cake.

“I made this today.” Enid started, gesturing to it with a flourish. “It’s a ready mix Olivia found in the pantry, so I hope it tastes better than it looks.”

“It looks great.” He lied, though honestly he could care less about how it looked. Chocolate cake was a far of memory and he couldn’t wait to try it. “I’m sure it tastes good too.”

“Liar.” She called him out on his bullshit, but there was a fond smile on her lips when Carl turned to her and amusement in her rosemary scent.

“Me? No way.” The omega said back, his own lips curving into a matching grin.

The moment was broken when Judith made an excited squeal from the other side of the table, eyes glued on the cake and little hands trying to reach for it.

“No, that’s not for you.” Michonne explained while his sister wiggled in her chair.

Carl got up to rifle through the kitchen cabinets in search of Judy’s baby food. They had a pretty good stash at the moment, though it was mostly apple flavoured for some reason. He grabbed one of the glass jars and handed it to Michonne, successfully distracting the baby from their food when she realized what it was.

Sitting back down, he watched as Enid served each of them a slice before pulling the chair next to his. The first bite he took was small (just in case it tasted awful and he had to pretend it didn’t), but he quickly went back for more. Soft, and almost melting on his tongue, the cake was the best thing Carl had ever eaten. Well, not really, but considering he had once eaten dog meat it was pretty close.

“This is really good.” Michonne commented, one hand full of cake and the other holding a spoonful of baby food. “Thank you, Enid.”

“You’re welcome.” The alpha replied with a smile before turning to him expectantly. She hadn’t touched the slice on her plate yet.

“I agree, this is awesome.” Carl added, almost finished with his piece. “Any chance there are other mixes hiding in the pantry?”

“Thanks.” She said, finally reaching for the food in front of her. “I don’t think there are others though, we didn’t exactly ration before.”

“Next time there’s a run we’re definitively looking for this.” Michonne told them, cutting another slice for herself while Judith was entertained with her empty plate (and chewing loudly). “Don’t throw the box away.”

“I won’t.” Enid promised, laughing at the two of them when Carl piled two slices on his plate. “Should we save some for the others?”

“We should save some for tomorrow.” Carl answered without thinking, flushing when he realized what he said and quickly trying to backtrack, “I mean… we could.”

The girl beside him snorted at his botched attempt, seemingly pleased at his words. That strange _thing_ in her scent from the other day was back with a vengeance, happiness spilling out along with it.

“Let’s save it.” She agreed, eyes fixed on the cake as she continued, “I made it for you anyway.”

Carl didn’t know what to say as he watched her avoid his gaze, his heart was beating so fast he was sure even Judith could hear it.

“I…” He tried, swallowing drily and pushing on, “Thank you. Really, I mean it.”

The smile she gave him was beautiful and the omega could feel his cheeks getting warm at the sight. He was also keenly aware of Michonne pretending nothing weird was going on while she continued feeding his sister. Feeling awkward again, Carl reached for one of his slices without another word.

-

The next day was a bad day for Carl, his wound itched and ached, like a phantom pain, and the meds seemed to have no effect whatsoever. He faked a smile when Rick brought him breakfast, but secluded himself in his room afterwards. Not even the nest he made was helping matters much and nesting _always_ helped.

He was in a decidedly terrible mood when Enid got there.

“I like this new nest aesthetic you’ve got going on, it’s a total mess instead of a carefully constructed mess.” She opened with, eyebrows raised at the war zone his room had become.

“Shut up.” He grumbled back, just because it was a sight to behold didn’t mean she had to say it.

Enid was quiet for a second and Carl wondered what she was thinking, her eyebrows had lowered into a frown as she eyed his nest. It was certainly not his best job, which might be why it wasn’t as effective as usual, but getting up to rearrange it seemed like too much work.

“Alright, get up.” She told him, coming forward and starting to gather the blankets he’d carelessly thrown on the floor in a pile.

“What? No.” Carl refused incredulously, if he was feeling bad in the nest he could hardly imagine how it would be out of it.

“Yes. You’re coming down with me and we’re going outside.” Enid’s voice was firm, just a hint of an order under it, and he made a face at her back. “Now.”

Resigned to the fact that she was not going to let it go, the omega started the difficult process of escaping his blankets. Out loud, he questioned, “Why?”

“Because you haven’t left the house in days.” She answered, watching his progress with satisfaction. “Don’t you want to?”

“Of course I do!” Carl exclaimed, almost tumbling off the bed as he slipped free from the last blanket but managing to right himself just in time. All he wanted was to be able to come and go as he pleased, preferably without braining himself on the stairs.

“Then let’s go.” Patience running out, Enid grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

“But… my boots.” He objected, not relishing the thought of walking outside with just his socks for protection.

“Leave them, we’re not going far.”

They navigated the stairs safely and made their way out the door without running into anyone. At the porch, Enid guided him around the bend to where two of their couch cushions were neatly arranged on the ground (honestly, he didn’t even notice they were gone). The day was cold and grey, the wind making Carl shiver in his threadbare shirt. It was still better than being inside his stuffy room.

“We’re going to sit and have leftover cake.” Enid announced, pulling him the last steps before letting go. His hand felt cold without hers, but he played it off, pretending he didn’t want her to do it again.

Carl sat on one of the cushions without complaint, gaze drifting to the house the rest of his family shared while Enid rummaged through her pack for the food. With a sigh, she lowered herself beside him with a container in her hands. She opened the lid, revealing the leftovers from the cake she baked them yesterday.

“Eat.” The alpha told him, leaving the food between them and taking a piece for herself.

So he did, reaching for a slice. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes, nothing but the wind disrupting it. Carl shivered again, cold seeping through his clothes and ruining the peaceful moment. He had even managed to forget about the pain for a bit.

“Hang on.” Enid said, pulling a jacket from inside her (surprisingly big) backpack and handing it to him. “It’s too big for me, so I thought you might like it.”

Taking it from her, Carl ran his hands over the supple leather of the outside before doing the same to the soft fur on the inside. It did look a bit big, but Carl wasn’t entirely sure that was the reason she was giving it to him. Either way, he hastily put it on when another gust of wind made its way around the bend.

It was one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing he had ever worn.

“It’s great, thank you.” Carl said, feeling toasty in his new jacket. “You should keep it though.”

The smile she aimed at him was soft and he shivered for an entirely different reason when she ran her eyes over him.

“It looks better on you.” Was her reply, causing Carl to blush and turn away. He knew she only meant it in comparison, but it was the only way he was ever going to hear her say such a thing. He was nothing special before and now… now he looked like a monster.

Carl pushed those thoughts away when she shifted closer on her seat, shoulder brushing his and hand reaching for another piece of cake. They stayed like that for some time, scents mingling together and enjoying each other’s company.

-

Enid spent the rest of that day close beside him and Carl could still smell rosemary on his clothes the following morning. His mood had improved considerably as well, pain receding to a manageable level once again. So much so, that when she arrived he was sitting on the living room floor with Judith. The little girl was babbling away at him while she played with some plush dices Maggie had dug up for her.

“You’re up early.” Enid commented, joining them on the floor. They had reached the point where she could just walk into the house and no one would bat an eyelash.

“Judy woke me up.” Carl explained, smiling as his sister offered one of the dices to Enid.

The alpha accepted it with surprise, but made sure to smile at the baby and thank her. Judith seemed satisfied and went back to playing by herself.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” She asked him, gesturing with the toy in her hand.

“Nothing, I guess.” He replied, chuckling at her confused expression. “She’s gonna want it back soon anyway, don’t worry.”

And he was right, because Judith raised her little hands towards Enid and directed her nonsensical noises at her not a minute later. With raised eyebrows, she returned the plush dice to its rightful owner and they both watched as the baby happily hugged all of them with her small arms.

Huffing in amusement, Enid said, “Have you two been doing this all morning?”

“Sort of.” Carl started, pointing in the direction of the kitchen as he continued. “She was playing with this plush giraffe earlier, but for some reason it now belongs to the floor.”

“I see you like the jacket.” She interrupted, nodding to him with a smug smile. It took Carl a second to figure out what she meant (his mind was still on the discarded giraffe).

“It’s warm.” He shrugged, embarrassed at how much it meant to him that it was from _her_.

“Good.” Enid told him and reached for her backpack.

Now, Carl wasn’t stupid and while three days did not make this a pattern, it was still fairly suspicious. That’s why he was pretty sure she was about to give him another present. It made him feel warm and cared for, happy that she thought of him when they were apart. It also confused him a lot and he couldn’t help wondering if there was a point to all this. It felt oddly like… like he was being courted.

But that was ridiculous. Not to mention impossible.

“I picked these for you today.” The sound of Enid’s voice brought him back to the moment and he watched as she extended a make shift bouquet towards him. It was a little battered (probably from the trip inside her backpack), but still pretty. “They were growing along the east wall, so I thought… you know.”

He didn’t know, actually. The omega reached for the flowers without questioning though, carefully wrapping his hand around where a bow tied the stems together.

Swallowing against the knot in his throat, he whispered, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She whispered back, the atmosphere between them suddenly heavy with something Carl couldn’t name.

“Well,” Enid broke the silence, making Carl raise his eye from the bouquet in his hands. She gave him a strained smile as she stood back up. Was she leaving already? “I told Maggie I’d take her shift on the wall today, so I have to get going.”

Oh.

“Okay.” Carl breathed out, heart squeezing painfully in his chest. Telling himself to stop being selfish, that Maggie needed to rest and it was very nice of Enid to offer, he added, “You don’t have to come here everyday if there’s somewhere else you have to be. It’s probably boring anyway.”

For a second, the alpha looked pained before she schooled her expression into something neutral. The omega faltered, hugging the flowers to his chest as he watched it happen. He said something wrong, clearly, but he meant it. She had been spending most of her days with him since everything and while it made him happy ( _so fucking happy_ ), doubt began germinating in the back of his mind. Enid was a free spirit and Carl was used to following along if he wanted to spend time with her, not the other way around. And he struggled with the though that she only stayed due to some misguided sense of guilt or responsibility.

So he watched helplessly as she left.

Sighing, he looked down at the bouquet with longing, wishing for things that could never be. No alpha would want an omega who didn’t have heats and Carl had resigned himself to the fact that whatever was wrong with him was permanent. Everyone was different, but usually omegas had their first heats during the year they turned fifteen. He’d spent most of that year on the run, starving and wondering which of the people he loved would die next. Or if it would finally be his turn.

Carl raised one of his hands slowly, fingers gently running over the gauze covering his deformity. No, Enid wasn’t courting him and he should stop wishing she would.

-

Walking away was hard, but Enid was getting frustrated. Either Carl was being purposefully obtuse or he really hadn’t realized what any of the gifts meant. She didn’t actually have a shift anywhere, but she couldn’t sit there while he stared at the flowers silently. He had looked so sad and confused, scent an intricate web of feelings she couldn’t make out properly.

And he said those things to her. As if the hours she spent with him weren’t the happiest of her days, as if he didn’t care whether she was there or not. No, that wasn’t true. She knew he cared, could see it in his eye and read it in his scent. But that wasn’t enough anymore, she needed to know if he wanted the same things she did. If he wanted to _be_ with her.

Enid found herself walking along the wall again, retracing her earlier steps absentmindedly (back when she had been happily gathering flowers for Carl).

“Enid?”

She blinked, watching as Glenn approached her with a shovel in his hands.

“You okay?” He asked, frowning at her. The beta was covered in dirt, gardening gloves giving away the job he had taken this morning.

“I’m fine.” She snapped back, angry at being questioned. Glenn raised his eyebrows in reproach and Enid regretted letting her frustrations get the better of her. Sighing, she admitted, “I’m not fine.”

“What’s wrong?” He asked, coming closer to stand under the shade cast by the wall as well, shovel placed against it.

Warily, she replied with another question, “Did Maggie tell you? About… Carl.”

“Yeah, but I promise we’re the only ones who know.” Glenn reassured her, lips lifting into a smile. “Unless you talked to him already?”

“No.” Enid answered, earning to be back at the house, sitting on the floor with the omega and basking in _his_ smiles. “I haven’t, but I will. Soon.”

“There’s no need to rush.” The beta said and she turned to lean against the wall (backpack squished in between) as she considered his words.

“I know, it’s just…” Making a decision, Enid hoped telling someone what was bothering her would help. “I’ve been giving him gifts, you know, like courting presents. But he doesn’t seem to understand or… maybe he doesn’t want to.”

Glenn was silent for a minute and the alpha waited him out. Finally, he spoke, “I’ve known Carl for a long time, we’ve been surviving together since the beginning.” He looked at her, voice serious as he continued, “If he didn’t want to be courted he’d say so. You should be honest with him.”

“Really?” Enid pressed, watching the expression on his face. She wanted to ask how they all met, the roads they had taken and the things they had to do to survive. Everything. But now wasn’t the time.

“Absolutely, he’s never been silent about his opinions before.” Glenn replied, laughing a little as he relived another memory she didn’t share. Couldn’t.

Chest burning with barely suppressed hope, the girl turned her eyes to the clouds and let herself imagine the future. Imagine the possibility that Carl would say _yes_.

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” She whispered towards the sky and for the first time in a really long time, Enid longed for tomorrow to come sooner.

She spent the rest of the day with Glenn though, helping him and Maggie as they took the first steps to eventually grow their own food. Later, as the clear blue above their heads turned dark and the moon switched places with the sun, Enid followed them home. They shared the dinner table with Sasha and Tara, the sense of pack strong between them.


	4. Unofficial Day 7 (or the last unofficial day)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven days. As of this second an entire week had passed since someone he considered a friend (despite all their problems) shot him in the eye. Carl knows the other boy hadn’t been aiming for him, can still feel how his heart jumped to his throat when he though he’d have to watch his father die. Ron died instead, joining the rest of his family on the ground. And the omega lost his right eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My initial plan was to post this when the mid-season premiere came out, but life (read: vacation) got in the way. Also, I'm not a 100% satisfied with this chapter (though it's been written for a while). I'll be back home tomorrow and schedule will probably go back to roughly a week between chapters. Hope you all like it!

Seven days. As of this second an entire week had passed since someone he considered a friend (despite all their problems) shot him in the eye. Carl knows the other boy hadn’t been aiming for him, can still feel how his heart jumped to his throat when he though he’d have to watch his father die. Ron died instead, joining the rest of his family on the ground. And the omega lost his right eye.

Carl didn’t leave his room all morning, sending Rick away when the man tried to bring him food. His stomach started protesting its emptiness a few hours later and he finally dragged himself out of bed. The stairs were no longer the obstacle they used to be (now that he was used to navigating them) and he reached the kitchen without incident. Searching for food, he pulled one of the cabinets open and stared at his options.

Stale pop tarts or stale cereal. Neither sounded appealing in the least and Carl longed for the taste of chocolate cake. And the presence of the alpha who made it for him.

Enid hadn’t returned since she walked out the day before and he panicked a little at the thought that she might not come today either. No, he’d wait a while longer and if she didn’t show he’d look for her himself. Apologise for being an ass. Maybe he should give her something? To make up for all the gifts he’d gotten during the course of the week.

The cereal bag was lighter than Carl was comfortable with, but he poured some into a bowl anyway. He should make sure there was more in the pantry. Maybe there would be something there he could make for Enid. The boy had never been very good at cooking (not like a proper omega should be), though Carol might help him if he asked. The beta had a knack for that sort of thing.

He eyed the table, considering, before deciding to just quickly eat at the counter and return to his room. Grabbing a spoon, he dug in, blocking the part of him that wished things were different.

Hinges that probably hadn’t been oiled in a really long time whined as the front door swung open, and the person Carl wanted to see most walked in.

-

Enid spent most of the morning pacing the length of her room. Back and forth, back and forth, until she felt almost dizzy from it. Today was the day, and she was determined to have an honest conversation with the omega she wanted to court. The omega she’d hopefully _be_ courting by the time the sun set.

Leaving her backpack behind was like leaving one of her limbs, she hardly ever went anywhere without it. But it was a safety blanket, something physical to prove nothing tethered her to Alexandria and she could leave whenever she wanted. None of that was true anymore. People kept her here, people she could finally admit she cared about. Who cared about her in return.

She held her head high as she left her house, feeling as light as the air around her. Whatever happened, in a couple of hours she’d have her answer.

-

“Hi.” Enid greeted, breaking their staring contest and stepping into the house properly.

Words crawling up his throat, Carl didn’t realize she meant to say more and they spoke over each other.

“I didn’t promise Maggie anything yesterday.”

“I’m sorry about what I said yesterday.”

“Oh.” She sounded breathless, smile curling her lips upwards and rosemary scent filling with joy.

“Wait, you lied to me?” Carl asked, aware that his own scent was full of hurt, betrayal clear in his voice.

The alpha joined him in the kitchen area with quick strides, the counter was the only thing between them.

She took a deep breath, eyes firm on his good one before replying, “I’ll explain everything, I promise. Just… I need to ask you something first and I really hope yesterday won’t affect your answer.”

“If this is about what I said yesterday, I…” The omega interrupted anxiously, hoping whatever she had to tell him wouldn’t be worse.

Enid didn’t let him finish though, “This has nothing to do with yesterday.” Shaking her head, she backtracked, “Actually, it has a little. It’s about the flowers.”

Frowning, Carl tried to imagine what it could be. He had taken them up to his room after she left, tucked into a glass of water so they’d last longer.

“The flowers, and all the other presents I gave you this week, were supposed to be courting gifts.” She stated, laughing a little at his dumbfounded expression before adding, “You really didn’t notice.”

Of course he didn’t notice! How the fuck were any of those things meant to sparkle some sort of… Actually, he did notice, didn’t he? Carl could vividly remember thinking, before she gave him the bouquet, that it felt like he was boing courted. He had dismissed it as ridiculous in the next second, unwilling to let himself hope an alpha like Enid would ever want an omega like him.

And she wouldn’t, if she knew the truth.

“So here I am, being open about my… intentions.” Lips twisted into a wry smile, Enid straightened across from him and kept going. “I really want to court you, properly now. Nothing would make me happier. And I hope… I hope it’ll make you happy too. That I will.”

There was something burning, a fire contained within his chest, and Carl forced himself to breathe through it. He wanted to say _yes_ with every fibre of his being, but it wouldn’t be fair to her. Not like this.

“Enid, I can’t.” The omega whispered, hating himself for the way it made her flinch. “I can’t accept, not when… not when you don’t really want this. Not with me.”

Scoffing, the alpha leaned forward, hands splayed against the counter as she stared at him. “It’s okay if you don’t want this, but I know what I want. And you can’t tell me how I feel, that’s not how this works.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Carl explained, shaking his head and lowering his gaze to his forgotten cereal bowl. “I’m not who you think I am. The things I’ve seen and the things I’ve done… they left marks so deep there’s no healing them.”

Shaking her head, Enid tried to interrupt, “Carl…”

“Don’t. I told you it mattered, remember? That something happened to me too?” He looked back up, locking eyes with her because she _needed_ to understand this. “So many people are dead because of me, people I cared about and people I didn’t. I killed an alpha boy once, his group was attacking ours but we won. He was surrendering and _I shot him_. I shot my own mother in the head. You should know, you saw me shoot the Wolf chasing Ron. I’m just another monster.”

He finally turned away from her wide eyes, not wanting to see the revulsion that would follow. That wasn’t even half of it though, it was missing everything that happened at Hershel’s farm and later on the road to Terminus. There was too much, his hands stained with a red so dark he would never be able to wash it out.

“I can’t make you happy, not like this.” Carl continued, voice sounding loud in the silence between them despite how much he wished it didn’t. “Because I don’t regret most of the decisions I’ve made.”

The whisper of cloth against cloth was just as loud and his heart clenched in his chest at the thought of Enid leaving again. This time permanently.

“You’re right, the things that happened to us matter. So I’ll tell you what happened to me before I got to Alexandria.” Looking up, he was surprised to see her standing so close. Enid had shifted to stand on the side of the counter closest to him instead of across, arm almost brushing his as she positioned them on the countertop once more. “I watched my parents die, watched as the walkers tore them piece by piece until there was nothing left but blood. I couldn’t save them. I wandered around afterwards, eating what I could and sleeping only when I had to. There was a point I didn’t know who I was anymore, all I knew was survival. I almost didn’t come in, but now I’m glad I did.”

One of her hands lifted to settle on his arm and he held back a shiver from the way it spread heat across his skin like lava. It wasn’t even a direct contact since his flannel was in the way, but it still felt like a lot. Especially when she pulled him towards her softly. He went easily, craving the closeness just as much as she did. Hands climbed up his arms and wrapped themselves around his shoulders, Enid’s warm breath hitting his neck as she stepped into the hug.

Hesitantly, Carl raised his arms and wrapped them around her. His fingers curled on the back of her jacket, needing something to hold on to. Something to prove this was real, that she was here and not running away from him.

“The past can’t be changed. But I’m sorry about how much it weights you down.” Was breathed against his skin, making him shiver openly this time. Her forehead landed on his shoulder, face turned so her nose faintly touched his neck.

“I’m sorry too.” Carl whispered into her hair, inhaling her addicting rosemary scent. There was pain in it as well, along with a sense of peace he had never smelled on her before.

She pulled him impossible closer, no space between them as they stood there together. The alpha lifted her head, nose leaving a trail of heat along the sensitive skin of his neck.

Lips found his ear and she spoke softly, cheek pressed against his, “I love you.”

There was a knot in his throat and a pressure behind his eye, he swallowed against it, trying to keep the tears from spiling out. _I love you too_ , he wanted to tell her, _so much_.

Instead, all he could choke out was, “Enid…”

“You don’t have to say it back, just listen.” The girl urged, leaning back a little so they could see each other properly. “I love you.”

Carl stared at the curve of her lips and the intensity in her eyes. Losing the battle against the wave of emotion inside him, he felt wetness sliding down his face (from the only eye he had that could still cry). Enid smiled sadly, hand lifting to brush the tears away, her thumb softly caressing his skin.

“I still want to court you, that hasn’t changed.” She started, her other hand slowly making its way to the nape of his neck. He relaxed a little at the touch, her fingers tangled in his hair. “Can I? What do _you_ want?”

“I…” The omega knew what he wanted, but there was more he should tell her before she offered such a thing. About his heats (or lack thereof) and his mangled face. Her eyes were so full of hope though, her smile so beautiful it made his knees weak. Maybe, just this once, it was okay to be selfish. “Yes. Yes, you can.”

It was her turn to cry, red eyes spiling tears down her blushing cheeks. Unable to help himself, Carl leaned closer, pressing their foreheads together. Their noses brushed against each other, causing them to laugh a little. It was surreal, how in less than an hour he got everything he ever wanted. He didn’t deserve this, didn’t deserve _her._

“Can I kiss you?” Enid asked, her warm breath making his lips tingle.

“Yeah.”

Carl turned his head a little, pushing closer until their mouths were almost touching. He hesitated there, heart beating so fast in his chest he was sure the alpha could feel it. She closed the distance between them, lips finding his in a slow kiss. The omega had never done this before, but there was no space for insecurity in his head (thoughts consumed by the girl he loved and the slow simmering heat in his belly).

They separated reluctantly, their panting the only sound in the house. Both of her hands were in his hair now, keeping him close. Releasing his tight grip on her clothing, Carl slid his hands to her hips instead (various layers still in the way).

“Can we…” He whispered, eye fixed on her pink lips and want clear in his scent.

“Yes. Always yes.” Enid replied, pulling him down again as she met him half way.

The kiss was deeper this time, a need pulsing between them like a living being. Carl opened his mouth when he felt the alpha’s tongue running along his lower lip, letting her explore him.

It felt simultaneously too much and too little, a moan leaving his throat before he could stop himself. She only kissed him harder, hands running along his neck and shoulders. Shifting, Carl turned them so his back was against the counter (the top digging into his lower back) and Enid followed. They were apart for barely a second, enough for her to step as close as she could. A leg settled between his, their hips suddenly flush together.

Cheeks flaming, the omega tried to pull back a little, uncomfortably aware of the hardness inside his jeans. The alpha didn’t let him though, hands sliding down to ass so she could keep him still. He whimpered at the action and that seemed to bring Enid back to herself a little.

“Sorry.” She said, backing away until their bodies weren’t in contact anymore but only just. The chasm that opened between them was so small, their chests met as they heaved. Her hands released their grip on him as well, now splayed on the counter on either side of him.

“You don’t need to be.” Carl corrected, bringing his own hands up to her face. Gently, using the pads of his fingers, he guided a lose strand of her hair back behind her ear. “It’s just… I’ve never done this before.”

“I know.” Enid smirked at him, her pupils were dilated as she leaned back a little more to run her eyes over him (lingering briefly at his crotch).

“What, and you have?” He retorted in a joking tone, knowing perfectly well that she hadn’t.

“Smartass.” She called him, voice fond and red lips stretched into a grin. “I’ll have you know that Ron and I…”

The alpha trailed off, seeming to realize what she was about to say. Carl went rigid at her words, the languid happiness that had been cursing through him before fading away. He didn’t care if Enid had experience or not, but the mention of the other boy brought back memories he wanted to forget. It reminded him of the parts of him the girl had yet to see. That he hated seeing in the mirror everyday.

She came closer, their bodies meeting in another hug. The arousal of before was all but gone from the air, only lingering faintly as an afterthought. The omega let his hands fall to her shoulders as hers slid along the counter to curl around his back.

“I’m sorry.” Enid said, angling her head so they were looking at each other as she spoke. “You almost died and I wasn’t there.”

“It’s not your fault, Enid. I shouldn’t have dropped one of the guns.” Carl shook his head, angry with himself for not seeing how far gone the beta had been.

She frowned, looking confused as she asked, “One of the guns?”

“Yeah.” Carl answered, remembering their fight in the garage and the damage it caused. People could have died. Well, they sort of did anyway. “He pointed a gun at me when we were surrounded in the house. We fought. I forced him to give it up.”

“What the hell was he thinking?” Enid was fuming, scent filling with anger at their dead friend. “Killing you would only make things worse.”

“He knew that, I think. He apologized.” He told her, trying to push the images of that night away. Sam’s screams and the way Rick had hacked away at Jessie’s arm, forcing her to let him go. Raising his right arm, Carl ran his fingers over the gauze covering the hole in his head. “This was an accident, he wasn’t aiming for me.”

“I don’t care!” She exclaimed and the boy startled a little, breath stuttering in his chest when her own fingers joined his. “Ron shouldn’t have waived a gun around at all, much less point it at a living person. Not while a giant herd was all around us.”

“Yeah.” Carl sighed, gently pulling her hand away from his bandage. Their fingers curled together instead, arms dropping to hang beside them.

They stayed like that for some minutes, soaking in each other’s scent and the way they mixed in the air. He knew his clothes would smell of rosemary for a while and he hoped his skin would too. The fact that the alpha wrapped around him would smell of petrichor filed him with happiness.

Enid seemed to swallow her anger, squeezing his hand as she softly changed the subject, “I hope you’ll be able to tell me more someday, about your mom and the others you lost. I’ll listen, I promise.”

“Thank you.” Carl whispered back, bending forward so their foreheads touched again. “Same goes for you.”

She purposefully rubbed their noses together this time, before settling against him. The omega ignored the way the countertop was digging into his lower back, the pressure of Enid leaning on him was worth the discomfort. He could stay like that forever to be honest, contentedness floating around them and heart light as a feather.

Until someone walked in that is.

“What’s goin’ on here?”

Scrambling away from each other, Carl knew his cheeks were flushed again when he saw his dad and Michonne standing at the open door. Rick was the one who spoke, frowning at them, face stern. Michonne was smiling though, looking amused at their awkward fumbling.

“We were just… I mean…” The omega had been about to give some bullshit excuse for what they had been doing, before realizing it was stupid. His family deserved to know he was getting courted. Enid deserved better than a lie. But he had no idea how to admit it and shot her a panicked glance.

She caught his glance, apparently reading his call for help correctly as she said, “Carl has agreed to let me court him.”

“Is that true?” Rick questioned, turning to Carl with and expectant look.

“Yeah.” He replied, mouth suddenly dry as he thought about the possibility that his dad might not approve.

“Congratulations, son.” The man finally relaxed, smiling at their expressions.

“I’m very happy for you two.” Michonne added, stepping forward with her arms open (invitation to a hug clear in them).

“Thank you.” Enid spoke beside him, rosemary scent happily dancing in the air.

Carl whispered his own _thank you_ into Michonne’s dreadlocks, letting the calming cinnamon wash over him. His dad was next, citrus scent enveloping him along with his arms. Was he even allowed to be this happy?

“I should get going.” Enid announced and Carl broke away from the hug to look at her. “I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Tomorrow had never seemed so far away and Carl approached her, wanting to kiss her again but weary of their newfound audience.

“Okay, see you then.” He settled for, biting his lip to keep from adding anything else.

Rolling her eyes, Enid bravely closed the distance between them. She landed a quick kiss on his cheek, in the space below his bandage, before walking away. At the open door, she looked back at him (standing there like a lovesick idiot) and smiled wide (and beautiful).

-

Enid was walking on clouds, the ground miles and miles beneath her. Like the green balloons she had released with Glenn when she came back to Alexandria. Her cheeks were starting to hurt from the stretch of her smile, but she couldn’t stop because _Carl said yes_. She was tempted to shout that out loud, so that everybody would know.

Instead, she found her feet leading her towards the house next door. The alpha knocked, hoping Maggie or Glenn (or both) would be in there. She wanted to tell them herself, show them this bubbly feeling in her chest.

Her wish was granted when the woman herself opened the door.

“Enid.” Maggie greeted her, stepping aside to let her in with a smile. “You don’t need to knock, you know that right?”

“I do now.” She was still smiling, but it waned a little now. Not because she was less than impossibly happy, it just felt right. “Is Glenn home?”

“He’ll be back soon.” The beta answered, walking back towards the table. Enid followed, eyes taking in the multitude of seeds arranged in neat piles on top of it.

“What are you doing?” She asked, curiously reaching to examine one of the little dark seeds closely.

“Tara brought these back on their last run.” Maggie explained, sitting on the chair she had clearly been occupying for some time and gesturing to the notebook in front of her. “I’m making a list how many we have and what kind they are. We’ll need to decide what to plant and when later.”

“Cool.” Enid actually thought so, sick of canned food at this point (same as everyone else) and hoping for some fresh fruits. “Can I help?”

“Of course.” The beta smiled at her, pulling another chair closer for the girl to join her.

They worked on the seeds for a while, Maggie counting and examining them while Enid recorded everything. She listen attentively as the older woman taught her the basics, with breaks in between where she talked about the farm she grew up in and the man who taught her in turn. It wasn’t so long ago that she couldn’t imagine ever feeling happy again and yet… Now she knew the world wouldn’t die. She wouldn’t let it.

“Hey, you two.” Glenn’s voice interrupted them, both women turning to look as he came through the door. “How is it going with the seeds? We have enough?”

“I think so.” Maggie answered, lifting her head to receive the kiss Glenn gave her. They shared a smile and the man stood close to her as she continued. “We should ask Rick what he thinks though.”

“Why Rick?” Enid interrupted, feeling confused. She knew he had been a sheriff before, Carl had told her as much.

“We lived in this prison for some time before coming here, Rick was in charge of the garden and the animals.” Glenn told her, a sad tilt to his mouth as he talked about the past.

“My daddy taught him too.” Maggie added, reaching for her husband’s hand. “He even roped Carl into helping him.”

“Yeah, how that kid didn’t get sunburned from standing so many hours under the sun is beyond me.” The beta commented, shaking his head in faint amusement.

Enid couldn’t imagine what a younger version of her favourite omega would look like. Had his hair been this long back then? Did he already wear that battered sheriff’s hat everywhere? She longed to know.

Instead, she figured it was the perfect opportunity to tell them the news.

“I talked to him today.” She started, cheeks warming up as she recalled the taste of his lips and the pleasant smell of his scent. “I asked Carl if I could court him.”

“Really? What did he say?” Glenn asked her in quick succession, hand reaching forward to squeeze her shoulder.

The wide grin that broke out on her face was impossible to hold back and while that was probably answer enough, she wanted to say it out loud. “He said yes.”

“I’m glad. For both of you.” Maggie told her, hand gently curling over hers on the table and a matching smile on her face.

“Me too.” Glenn added, their scents mingling in the air around them. Enid felt accepted, like she was finally a part of this strange pack of theirs properly. “We should celebrate.”

“Oh no, really there’s no need to trouble yourselves for me.” She protested, thinking of the food they had already fed her yesterday.

“It’s no trouble.” Maggie reassured her, starting the slow process of stowing away the seeds in their proper places. “We want to.”

“Okay.” Enid acquiesced, warmth filling her chest at the words. She hastened to help the other woman, Glenn joining in as well.

After dinner, they asked her to stay the night at the house. She resisted at first, not wanting to intrude until the betas disabused her of the notion. They gave her one of the spare rooms on the second floor and Enid slept through the night without a single nightmare.

-

“Tell me everything. What did she say?” Michonne jumped on him as soon as the door closed, excitement spilling out into her scent.

“I admit, I’m curious as well.” Rick chuckled at her enthusiasm, herding the two to them towards the couch before settling with them.

Suspicious, Carl turned to him as soon as they were seated, voice accusing as he asked, “You knew?”

“I did.” His dad told him and the omega made a face at that revelation. Was he the only one who didn’t know? “She asked for my blessin’.”

“What? When did that happen?” The boy was taken aback, unable to imagine Enid asking Rick for anything. She wasn’t exactly great with authority. But then again, neither was he.

“Day you came back home.” Rick replied, sharing an amused look with Michonne.

The beta threw her arm along the back of the couch, pulling him closer as she told him, “I knew.”

“Wait, did she ask you too?” Carl wouldn’t be surprised if she had, it was no secret Michonne was like another parental figure to him.

“Nope, but it was pretty obvious.” She said teasingly, winking at him when he groaned with mortification.

Carl regaled them with the story of how Enid asked to court him, leaving out some of the more personal stuff they discussed during the conversation. Especially the bit where he told her he was a monster. He knew the other two wouldn’t take it well. Self-conscious, he also left out how she’d kissed him. How he wished she’d never stop.

Eventually, Carol and Daryl joined them for dinner and Carl retold the story with only mild awkwardness. The other two were happy for him, Daryl giving him a hug while Carol patted him on the shoulder. He was going to tell the others tomorrow, though hopefully he wouldn’t catch Eugene alone as the beta was sure to make it as awkward as possible.

Carl went back to his room after they were done, face hurting from how much he’d smiled through everyone’s congratulations. Alone in the dark though, all his worries came crashing back down.

Sighing, he grabbed some clean gauze and the hydrogen peroxide from his room and made his way to the bathroom. Squinting against the harsh light, Carl started the agonizing process of changing his bandage. He tried not to look, really he did, but it was almost impossible to clean the wound without at least peaking at where his fingers were going.

A gaping, dark red hole stared back at him. It still looked raw, the cuts around it swollen and just as painful. The omega shuddered at the thought of Enid seeing this, nausea rolling in his stomach as he imagined the disgust in her eyes.

He had to make sure she never did.


	5. Official Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carl and Enid have an important conversation. And there's popcorn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is long overdue and I'm really sorry. I even said I was going to post it yesterday, but that clearly didn't happen. Mostly because I decided to do a last reread and ended up rewriting the last scene. I've also changed the final chapter count, so this chapter now marks the halfway point.
> 
> Without further ado, here is chapter 5! I hope you guys like it :)
> 
> (Btw, since I had less time to revise this chapter there might be some spelling/grammar mistakes. Feel free to let me know if you catch any.)

Faint sunlight coming into the room woke Enid up and for a second she had no idea where she was. It was enough to have her scrambling out of the comfortable bed and to her feet, hand automatically reaching for her knife. When her fingers grabbed at air, landing on her jeans instead of her weapon, it hit her. Maggie and Glenn had invited her to stay at their house the night before.

Heartbeat finally slowing down, Enid pushed the curtains open and peeked outside. Morning had obviously come already, but it still looked fairly early. She smiled wide, thinking of the day before and the omega she couldn’t wait to see again. First things first though, she was going to offer her help to the beta couple who had come to mean so much to her.

Decided, the girl pulled her boots back on and reached for her jacket. The days were getting colder and she was grateful to have found that warm jacket for Carl. Whoever had searched the houses before had clearly done a terrible job. The thought of him wearing one of her gifts made her heart flutter. It was with that image in her head that she strapped her knife to her belt and ran a hand through her messy hair.

Enid was still thinking about Carl as she made her way down to the first floor, wondering if she should attempt to tackle any other difficult subjects today or not. Glenn was there when she walked into the kitchen area, scooping cereal out of a bowl with a fork.

Raising her eyebrows, Enid asked, “What are you doing?” 

“Hey,” Glenn greeted, lowering the utensil and smiling at her. “Can’t find the spoons.”

The alpha snorted, turning to search through the drawers for the wayward spoons.

“Did you sleep well?” It was his turn to ask, the words still somehow distinguishable through a mouthful of food.

“Yeah, thanks for having me.” She replied, lifting a couple of pans so she could look between them.

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

Enid froze at the words, warmth curling around her heart while her brain freaked out. Stay here with them? Like a family? Glenn hadn’t said so, but their group had purposefully remained together when they got to Alexandria and asking her to live with them was an invitation to belong.

Trying to smooth over her reaction, the girl went back to her task. She sounded breathless as she asked, “What if that’s a really long time?”

Glenn was silent for a second, the sound of his chair scraping against the wooden floor the only answer she got. She shouldn’t have asked anything, should have just said _no thank you_ and moved on. Lost in thought, Enid didn’t realize he’d stepped closer until his hand settled softly on her shoulder.

“Hey,” The beta started, depositing his empty bowl in the sink with his other hand. “I’ll help you move your stuff here if you want.”

Looking away from him, she blinked quickly, refusing to cry over this. Honestly, crying twice in as many days was unlike her. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but crying made her feel vulnerable in a way she was used to avoiding. The memory of Carl’s own tears as they stood in each other’s arms smoothed over that feeling of wrongness a little. She certainly didn’t think less of him for it.

“Okay.” Enid agreed, turning back to the man beside her with a small smile. “I’d like that.”

“Good.” Glenn smiled back, squeezing her shoulder before directing his attention towards the sink.

“You need any help today?” Changing the subject, the alpha offered as she rearranged the pans back to their proper places (the spoons were nowhere to be seen).

“Aren’t you going to see Carl?” Glenn asked back, washing his bowl and fork. They were running low on dishwashing soap, but she figured water was enough to clean up after cereal.

“Yeah, but…” She trailed off, unsure how to explain the complicated feeling in her chest. “I can do that later.”

“I’m actually going over there now, I need to talk to Rick.” He told her, smiling slightly as he dried his hands with a washcloth. “You can come with me if you want.” The beta considered her for a second before pointing at one of the cupboards with a serious look. “Breakfast first though.”

-

Michonne welcomed them into the house with Judith perched on her hip. The baby had what Enid guessed was baby food smeared all over her face and a spoon clenched in her little hand. She glanced over to the table as Glenn stepped forward to greet the two, discretely trying to find the omega she had come to see.

“He’s still in bed.” The samurai told her with a knowing smile, but Enid refused to feel embarrassed. There was no point now that they all knew how she felt about him. “You can go up if you want. Maybe you’ll have more luck than me.”

The alpha nodded, giving Judith a little wave as she made her way towards the stairs. The toddler waved back, spoon almost hitting Michonne on the nose as she did. Glenn patted her shoulder as Enid passed him, smile lifting the corners of his mouth. The two adults started discussing their food situation as soon as she went up, hushed voices still reaching her ears at the top of the stairs. There was going to be a run soon.

The door to Carl’s room was closed and Enid couldn’t contain the strange giddy feeling in her chest as she stood in front of it. Touching the wood hesitantly, the girl let the memories of the day before wash over her. The taste of his lips against hers, the softness of his hair as she tangled her fingers through the strands, the sadness in his eye as he told her _I can’t_.

She sighed, thinking of the other things he told her. Enid wanted to know more about his past, if only to prove to him that she was in this for the long haul. A haunted past wasn’t going to scare her away. She didn’t care how many people he’d killed, no one’s hands were clean these days anyway. Not even hers.

This world was no longer governed by the same rules as before and anyone who thought differently were only kidding themselves.

Carefully, so as to make as little noise as possible, Enid turned the handle and pushed the door open. The room was dark, only a slither of sunlight making its way in from under the curtains. She could make out the bundle of blankets on the bed anyway, piled so high she could only guess Carl was lying in there somewhere. This nest was definitively bigger than the last few she had seen him make, no spare blankets had been carelessly thrown away this time.

Enid walked closer to the bed, worried about the boy drowned in blankets.

“Shit.” She cursed under her breath, managing to not fall on her ass somehow. The bottle she had just stepped on rolled away, the pills inside clinking together as it did.

Glancing at the bundle on the bed quickly (to make sure Carl hadn’t seen her less than graceful stumble), the alpha ran her eyes along the floor. The second pill bottle was lying somewhere to her left, a water bottle a few paces ahead of it. Did he throw these away? Frowning, Enid closed the distance between her and the mountain of blankets. There was pain in his petrichor scent, more than there had been a few days before when she’d marched him out of bed and onto the porch for leftover cake.

Slowly, she laid one of her hands on the tallest part of the pile.

“I said I’m not hungry.” The words came from under the blankets, startling her a little, but his annoyed tone was unmistakable.

“Did you take your meds at least?” The alpha asked, hand moving upwards in a caress (she was pretty sure his arm was somewhere under her touch).

“Enid?” Carl replied, wiggling a little to try and look at her. She helped him along, gently pulling the top layer until they managed to free his head.

“How do you not suffocate under this thing?” Huffing in exasperation, Enid gave him a look as she pointed to the bottles on the floor. “So: painkillers?”

“I dropped them sometime during the night.” He explained sheepishly, straining his neck to see where they landed. “Carol woke me up to take them a few hours ago and I did, but then… uh…”

Rolling her eyes, Enid retrieved the runaway bottles and put them back on the bedside table (right beside the pile of comics she had brought for him and a glass of water full of the flowers she picked). Carl managed to sit up within his nest as she did it, back to the wall and blankets still covering his legs. He looked tired and she felt guilty for not checking in on how he was doing yesterday. Determined as she had been to get her feelings off her chest, the girl had forgotten he was battling something way more serious.

“Are you okay?” The alpha asked, standing beside the bed and sort of towering over him. It was… not an unpleasant feeling. But really not something she should be thinking about right now.

“Yeah.” Carl answered, smiling at her slightly. He seemed to hesitate for a second before he raised his hand towards her.

With a smile of her own, Enid took the offered hand, lacing their fingers together in the space between them. Her earlier happiness came soaring back and she knew he could smell it in her scent. Originally, she had all sorts of plans for today (this was the _go on dates_ part of Plan Courtship after all), but now that she was here with him there was nothing she wanted more than to bask in his scent and his smiles.

Not to mention he was still recuperating from a gunshot wound, so maybe taking it easy was more important than any plan.

“Should you take the pills again? Want me to bring some food up?” Enid asked, thumb moving back and forth against his skin, a need to make sure the omega was comfortable rising up in her.

“No, it’s fine. Just…” He trailed off, cheeks tinted faintly pink as he continued. “Stay?”

“Always.” She didn’t have to think about the answer, word leaving her lips automatically at the request from the boy she loved.

Carl nodded, shifting on the bed before pulling on her hand slightly. Glancing from her to the place beside him, he said, “Come on.”

“Haven’t we had this conversation before?” The alpha resisted both the soft physical pulling on her hand and the emotional one in her chest, both insisting she should give him everything he wants.

“I’m not letting you sit on the floor. I don’t know if you noticed, but there aren’t any spare blankets.” Carl argued, raising his eyebrows with a challenging look. “Besides, after yesterday I’m pretty sure you’re allowed to sit on my bed.”

Enid’s alpha instincts rose light thunder, wanting to answer the omega’s challenge. The mention of what had transpired the day before didn’t help either, her eyes landing on his pink lips and staying, hand tightening around his. Taking a deep breath, in an attempt to _not_ throw herself at him (he was injured and his family was only downstairs), she considered the offer. In the end, it was a toss up between sitting on the hard floor or shoulder to shoulder with the boy she was courting on a soft bed.

No choice, really.

With one last squeeze, Enid released Carl’s hand to pull her boots and jacket off before gingerly climbing over the mess of layers. She managed to position herself beside him, leaning against the wall and stretching her legs over the blankets.

“See? Totally okay.” The boy said, hand reaching for hers again.

They weren’t nesting together, she knew, but it was so close to the real thing that she could feel her cheeks heating up. Carl didn’t seem to notice as he entwined their fingers back together, bringing her hand to rest on his lap. Enid watched his own cheeks flush, eye fixed on the place where they were connected. His palm was warm against hers and she leaned sideways slightly, their shoulders bumping together softly.

“You’d tell me, right?” She blurted the question without thinking it through, turning to catch his confused gaze before trying to explain. “If something wasn’t okay. You’d tell me, right? Anything?”

Frustrated at her lack of eloquence, Enid was ready to try again when Carl spoke, “About my… about my eye, you mean?”

He fidgeted a little beside her, the bed shifting with his movements, looking uncomfortable at the mention of his wound. Even if he had been the one to bring it up in the first place.

“That too.” The alpha agreed, shelving the conversation about his eye for another time. Pushing too hard all at once might scare him away, so she circled back to her original point. “But I meant about _this_.” She shook their joined hands, the other lifting to gesture between them. “About us.”

“Oh.” He sighed and Enid watched his face as he considered their hands once more. “I’d tell you if something wasn’t okay about us.”

“Good. If it’s too far or too fast, you need to tell me.” She reiterated, wanting to make sure he understood. This wasn’t going to work if they couldn’t be honest with each other about their limits.

“Same goes for you.” Carl said, determination clear in his petrichor scent.

“Fair enough.”

They relaxed in the silence that followed, both lost in their own thoughts. The girl’s head was full of questions, things she wanted to know about him and his family. She could only guess that he was just as curious (he had extended an invitation to talk about her past during their conversation the day before), but seemed unwilling to broach the subject himself. Maybe he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable or wasn’t ready to be just as honest in return, so she settled for a subject that didn’t delve into the past too much.

“Can I ask you something?” Enid blurted, unsure how to ease them into the topic. She didn’t want to throw them to the middle of the ocean without life jackets though.

Hopefully Carl knew how to swim.

“You just did.” He answered with a cheeky smile, blue eye gleaming with something wicked.

Not for the first time, and the alpha was certain it wouldn’t be the last, she was torn between kissing him and smacking him. She held herself in check, controlling her impulses as she always did around him. It was only when his gaze lowered, shifting from her eyes to her lips that she remembered she didn’t have to hold back anymore.

Sliding her free hand to the back of his neck, fingers griping his soft locks, Enid pulled the omega forward. Their lips met in the middle, gentle at first, before Carl turned his head slightly and deepened it. She took control of the kiss, the need to be as close to him as possible was overwhelming as he let her. Tongues dancing together, they languidly explored each other until their brains needed oxygen more than they needed kisses.

Carl’s lips were shiny and red, invitingly open as he panted. His cheeks were flushed too and Enid really couldn’t be blamed for joining their mouths once more. She didn’t have a lot of experience, only a few kisses here and there with Ron before the attack. So she was hardly in a position to find Carl’s inexperience sweet, but it was impossible not to. He followed her lead easily, tongue running over hers as they kissed.

They separated again slowly, mouths still brushing together as neither wanted break the contact entirely. With one last peck, Enid finally pulled away completely. The alpha watched as he licked her taste off his lips, sure that he was testing her self-control.

“I’m still waiting for that question.” Carl commented, body turned towards hers and a smirk lifting the corners of his mouth.

Rolling her eyes, Enid gently pulled his hair (half playfully, half as a warning, no matter how charming she thought his cheek was). The omega let her do it, head bending a little so his neck was exposed. She released the strands, fingers drifting to his pulse point as his heart hammered under her touch.

“I wanted to ask about suppressants. I mean…” She floundered again, trying (and failing) to ease into the topic of dynamics, before pushing on. “I’ve never seen you take any.”

Carl swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing next to where her fingers rested on his warm skin. His grip on Enid’s other hand, still laced together over the covers, tightened as he considered her. All in all he seemed just as comfortable to be talking about this as he had about his wound, which is to say not at all.

“I don’t.” Was the answer she got, hand sliding away from his neck as he turned, settling back against the wall.

“But…” Enid stared at his profile, arm dropping uselessly back to the bed. She wished he’d turn back so she could see his eye, wanting to see the play of emotion on his face properly. “What about heats?”

“Never had one.”

The scent of petrichor in the air was rich, filled with a complex array of emotions that Enid couldn’t sort through. What she knew for sure was that he was nervous. Not because she could smell it on him (she couldn’t), but because his body language was unmistakable. Carl was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, making it even redder than the kisses they’d shared only a few minutes ago, and his hand was trembling against hers. It was like that first night all over again, when he couldn’t hold the tray or cut the meat.

“Okay.” She said, cursing her terrible lack of eloquence. A million questions were racing around in her head, going in circles with no way out. The girl refused to bombard him with things he might not be ready to tell her though. Taking a deep breath, she tried again, “First of all, I don’t care about that. Unless you care, obviously.” Off to a great start. “Second of all… I love you.”

Enid wanted to be poetic and deep, like those alpha/omega romances she used to see on television as a kid. But that was just not her, and whatever had made the boy beside her say yes to this courtship, she could say with a hundred precent certainty that he knew that already.

Carl turned back to her at the declaration, frowning slightly. His lips twitched though, as if he was holding back a smile. The alpha decided to count that as a win.

“I want to know more, about you and your life before now.” She told him, shifting to her knees so she could look at him without craning her neck. With his hand still in hers, Enid brought them upward, pressing their connected palms against his worn out flannel. “Whenever you’re ready, okay? I didn’t mean to pressure you.”

The boy shook his head, bending forward slowly, eye focused on hers until they were close enough to touch. He ducked his head then, tucking his face against her own t-shirt. Butterflies suddenly soared inside her, heart fluttering along with their tiny wings as she felt his warm breath on her clavicle through the thin cotton layer.

“Stop being so careful.” He said against her, irritated tone loud and clear no matter how soft his voice sounded. “I’m an omega, not made of glass. We just agreed to tell each other _no_ , didn’t we? Ask away. I’ll answer what I can.”

The smile on her face was probably inappropriate all things considered, but she had missed his sharpness. Not that it hadn’t been present during the last week, just diluted maybe, hidden under tragedy and pain until he found his footing again. Their disagreements were just as much _them_ as their tenderness. Placing her other hand back on his long hair, Enid adjusted her knees on the bed and thought about everything she wanted to know.

“Back to the heat thing then. You’ve never had one, right? How old are omegas supposed to start having them?” The girl asked, running her fingers through his soft locks. His scent was a little calmer now, mostly a mixture of exasperation and nervousness.

“Usually it happens at any point between 15 and 16, I guess. Some people are early, some are late, but most fall within that year.” Carl shrugged as he spoke, hand a little clammy on hers as he continued. “I kept expecting it, while we were out there. Dreading it and wanting it while we starved and fought to stay alive. I’m glad it didn’t happen at the side of the road, but… It just never did.”

Enid didn’t stop her motions as she considered his words, twisting a strand of his hair around her finger before releasing it. Finally, she said, “You’re around what… 16? It could still happen.”

“Maybe.” Carl sounded doubtful, but the alpha didn’t let that deter her.

“And if it doesn’t happen, does it matter? I mean, you’re still here.” She argued, thinking about gunshots and herds. Sweat had gathered between their palms now and while it wasn’t a great feeling, Enid refused to let go. She’d only miss the connection.

“Objectively, I know you’re right. Survival is more important.” The boy agreed reluctantly, shifting closer so his forehead brushed the sensitive skin of her neck. “But I can’t help how it _feels_. Like I’m broken somehow.”

The alpha bit back her automatic response, the need to reassure the hurt omega in front of her that there was nothing wrong with him. Nothing she could say to him would change his feelings on the matter and it felt disrespectful to try. She still remembered scolding him yesterday for doubting the veracity of her own feelings.

Settling for a different approach, Enid tried, “I can’t say I understand _this_ exact feeling, alphas not having heats and all. Still,” She paused, struggling with her next words. They were important though, and she wanted to share everything with him. “I’m used to feeling broken.”

“Why?” He asked, backing away from her a little until they could look at each other properly.

Releasing his hair, she brought her hand between them to trace the slope of his eyebrow as he frowned at her.

“Because,” She started, faltering as dark thoughts clashed with happier ones. The memory of her parents’ mangled corpses against sharing smiles with Glenn and Maggie; the feeling of justified loneliness as she left Alexandria (hand still clenched around the pen she used to write that note for Carl) and how right it felt as their scents mixed in the air that night she visited him in the infirmary. “I forced myself to feel nothing for so long, that I forgot what being alive was like.”

“You’re alive now. We both are.” Carl sounded certain, nodding at the words as his gaze shifted between her eyes.

She smiled slightly, understanding flowing through her.

“Yeah,” Enid agreed, watching as his smile matched hers. “We are.”

They spent the next few hours talking, not about anything deep or meaningful, mostly sticking to easier topics after the rollercoaster of before. Enid told the boy beside her about Glenn’s invitation that morning and how she planned on moving in with them. Carl described the security plan he overheard Rick and Michonne discussing. They wanted to put Rosita in charge of making sure people were ready for any future problems.

There was a lull in the conversation when Carl took his tablets, Enid watching like a hawk. There was too much pain in his scent for her to be entirely comfortable, but he insisted she didn’t need to bother Denise about it. The girl wasn’t convinced, though ultimately decided to trust his judgement (not before giving him a warning look).

As lunchtime approached, the house was totally silent, not even Judith’s babble could be heard.

“Olivia took her today.” Carl told her when she asked him about the little girl, sounding sleepy from his place lying against her shoulder. She had gone back to her previous spot beside him, back to wall and legs arranged over his. She hesitated to say that they were cuddling, but well… they were.

Considering her plans, Enid shifted a little as she questioned, “Is there a tv set in the house?”

“I think there’s one in dad’s room. Why?” He replied, lifting his head to blink at her.

“I have an idea.” The alpha smiled, unable to resist capturing his lips in a soft kiss before continuing. “I’ll be right back.”

Untangling herself from him was harder than she thought it would be, everything in her clamouring to go back. She was on a mission though and besides, she didn’t plan on taking long.

-

The track to Olivia’s house was quick and Enid took the stairs two at a time after a hello to the woman and a kiss to the toddler’s forehead. In her (soon to be ex) room she grabbed her backpack and put was she was looking for inside before turning to her own television. Since Carl had one she decided to leave it, only disconnecting the DVD player and storing it in her backpack.

On her way back she stopped by the pantry, picking up a few things for her plant to be perfect. She dutifully jotted her name down on the last vacant slot in the notebook, closing up after she was done. It took barely fifteen minutes for her to arrive back at the house, giddy to join her omega once again.

His eye was closed when she walked back inside his room, clearly having lost the battle against sleep. She fell in love with him all over again as she took in the awkward position he had settled into. That couldn’t be good for his back, but she decided not to bother him yet, there were other things she needed to arrange before waking him up.

-

Someone was shaking him, it wasn’t hard or anything but it didn’t take long for Carl to blink out of the doze he had fallen into. The scent of rosemary was strong in the air and he knew Enid was back from her mysterious trip. There was something else right under her scent, but his addled mind couldn’t put a name to the smell.

“You should have just laid down like normal person, instead of… whatever this is.” She said, amusement clear in her tone.

The omega was about to sass her back, but that train of thought derailed when he shifted and his back protested loudly. He glared at her smug look as he sat against the wall again, uncurling from the L shape he had fallen asleep in.

“Well, you took your time.” He mumbled, massaging a cramp in his neck. Louder he asked, “Where did you go anyway?”

With a satisfied smile, the girl pointed towards the end of the bed and he turned to look. A low set of drawers had been pushed there, what he recognised as his dad’s television sitting on top. There was a DVD player hooked in and long black cables connected to the closest electric outlet. She had done all this and he slept through the whole thing.

“Wow.” Carl couldn’t help his wonder, he hadn’t looked at a tv since the last time he played video games with Ron (and that had been before his dad killed Pete). In other words, it felt like forever, like something out of a happier time that he wasn’t allowed to have anymore. “Are we watching something?”

“Yeah,” Enid replied, tone implying he was being purposefully dense. He would take offence, really he would, but the bowl of popcorn she presented to him was too good to pass up. “Hold this for a sec.”

“Did you make these?” The omega hesitated, fingers barely touching one of the popped kernels. “I haven’t seen popcorn since before everything.”

“Got the corn from the pantry and followed one of Carol’s recipes. It’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it.” She explained as she looked for something inside her pack. “So… I found this in one of the other houses.” Enid pulled something from her backpack and showed him. It was a DVD case, with the cover still intact and all. “I thought we should watch it.”

“ _Spider-Man_?” Carl ginned, heart filled with nostalgia as he looked at the masked man on the cover. “Hell yeah, lets watch it.”

Smiling, the girl put the disc in and adjusted the settings. She came back to the bed with the remote on her hands and happiness in her scent. His own petrichor scent was probably bursting with the same emotion as they arranged themselves side by side again, his head on her shoulder and her legs over his. After everything they had talked about today, he was glad there was no awkwardness between them.

It was the first movie of the trilogy and Carl’s favourite storyline out of the three. This was the perfect thing to take their minds off the outside world for a little while, he thought, as they watched Peter get bitten by the radioactive spider. The popcorn was like heaven in his mouth, he could eat it all day long without complaining. It was definitively high up on the list of foods he missed the most, right below chocolate cake.

“Spider-Man is cool and all, but nothing beats Iron Man.” Enid announced at some point, the Green Goblin and Spider-Man fighting on the screen in front of them.

“Oh come on, Tony Stark is overrated.” Carl countered as he grabbed a handful of popcorn. He didn’t actually thing so, but he knew the alpha would argue her case. Iron Man was one of her favourite superheros.

“He is not! Take that back, Grimes.” She exclaimed, eyes narrowed at him while a smile danced on the corners of her mouth.

He kissed her instead, carefully holding the bowl of popcorn away so as to not spill any of its precious contents. The movie was ignored for some time after that, both of them lost in each other. Hesitantly, the omega settled one his hands on her thighs as she curled her arms over his shoulders. He never wanted to stop.

They had to eventually, lips a little sore and panting. It was half way through the movie already at that point, but he could care less. The contentedness on Enid’s rosemary scent told the same story.

Carl fell asleep again at some point during the second half of the movie, feeling safe in his alpha’s arms.


	6. Official Day 2 (and date number 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carl starts something he shouldn't, while Enid prepares a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost on time lol. I think this is the longest chapter yet though, so that should count for something. Hope you all enjoy chapter 6!

As the sun peeked over the horizon, somewhere beyond the trees, the first rays of sunlight painted the dark blue of the sky into something softer. It was that early morning hour when the whole world looks grey, the colours muted as the moon and the sun battle over the sky. Enid watched the transition from her place on the wall, adjusting the heavy machine gun on her hands.

After Carl fell asleep during their movie date the day before, it didn’t take her long to follow suit. Until Rick woke them up for food, that is. The older alpha seemed more amused at their blushing cheeks than angry at their position on the bed (or the temporary theft of his television). She had dragged her feet sleepily as she trudged back to Olivia’s house, but the prospect of joining her favourite beta couple perked her up a little.

Packing her bag with clothes and some hygiene related things (along with other essentials like comic books and her gun), Enid made her way back to the house next to Carl’s. Maggie welcomed her with a hug while Glenn gave her a thumbs up from his place in front of the stove with Tara. She had eaten already, but she would gladly sit at the table with them.

She knew going home wouldn’t be so lonely from now on.

Half of her mind was still replaying the events of yesterday, heart bursting at the seams from all the good emotions it wasn’t used to feeling. The other half was focused outside, gun at the ready just in case. Nothing was getting through her. Or Sasha, who she knew was up on one of the new look out points they’d established since the break in.

The sky was pale blue by the time Rosita showed up to take her place, machine gun exchanging hands as they nodded to each other. The alpha wasn’t entirely sure what to think of the other woman, who seemed to wear coldness like a mantle. As she climbed down from the platform, the girl pondered on how tragedy made some people close off while others bloomed unexpectedly. Carl was clearly the latter, as were Maggie and Glenn. Rosita, along with Sasha, fitted the former better. Enid knew she belonged with the two betas in the closed off group, only recently had things changed a little.

Small steps.

“Hey,” A voice from below caught her attention and the alpha could see Maggie standing beside the wooden steps as she squinted up at her (the hand over her eyes offered little protection against the rays). “How was your first shift?”

Skipping the last couple of steps and dropping down straight onto the soft grass, Enid replied with a satisfied smile on her lips, “Pretty good. Not a single walker though, which is boring.”

“I know what you mean.” The beta agreed, chuckling. Face darkening, she added, “Better no walkers than too many.”

“Yeah,” The girl sighed, knowing too well the truth of those words. She still relived that night in her nightmares: Maggie trapped as the platform shook beneath her, her own arms shaking as she climbed the wall as fast as she dared, Glenn getting cornered with an empty gun and that final gunshot echoing from somewhere further into the community.

Maggie gave her a tight-lipped smile, as if she knew exactly what Enid was thinking.

“Ready for the big move?” She asked, moving the conversation away from the bad and into the good. “Glenn’s busy showin’ Rick the plantation plans, but I’ll help.”

“Thank you for letting me stay with you.” Enid said as the two of them walked away from the looming wall and onto Alexandria’s main street. It was a cold morning, but the warmth of the sun helped ease it a little. “Olivia is really nice, it’s just…”

“She ain’t family.” Maggie finished for her, understanding clear in her apple tree scent. “We are.”

Breath hitching at the confirmation, Enid couldn’t remember ever feeling this happy (not even before the outbreak). Only one other person made her feel like this, like she was _living_ instead of surviving, and that was Carl. Nothing could replace her dead family, she knew that, and not a day went by that she didn’t miss them fiercely. This was a new beginning though, a chance to rebuild and heal.

She couldn’t wait to have a family again.

-

Carl was feeling a lot better after a lazy day in bed, pain surprisingly absent for the first time in days. Michonne would probably say his outlook on life was much more positive and that was influencing his recovery. It sounded like bullshit to him, but he couldn’t deny how much happier he was feeling. All due to a certain alpha he loved. Whether that was actually helping or not he couldn’t say.

The house was quiet when he left his room, everyone already out doing their jobs. Rick had probably taken Judith to Olivia’s place again, wanting to give him a break from babysitting. Carl wished he hadn’t. Taking care of his sister gave him something to do, instead of sitting around all day uselessly. Not having her distracting babble around left him alone with his thoughts, and that was dangerous.

Grabbing the peroxide and extra gauze, as well as clean clothes, he made his way across the corridor to the bathroom he shared with Michonne. He had forgotten to change his bandage yesterday and was really not looking forward to doing it now. Shower first though.

It wasn’t that long ago that Carl couldn’t imagine ever taking a warm shower again (the ones at the prison had been freezing cold), much less in a proper bathroom inside an actual house. He wasn’t stupid enough to take what he had now for granted, he wouldn’t let Alexandria make them weak, make _him_ weak. Not even now.

He didn’t linger under the water the way he longed to, cleaning up quickly instead. It took longer than usual to wash his hair and he frowned during the entire process. Denise had been extremely clear with what he could and couldn’t let near his wound and shampoo was definitively in the _never_ list.

Cleaning the hole in his head afterwards was just as tiresome, hands moving through the motions as quickly as possible. Wrapping the gauze around his head when he was done was easy now that he had constant practice, but he hated doing it while his hair was wet. The bandages felt heavy and wrong, sitting weirdly between the strands. But it was that or walking around without a bandage. He shuddered just thinking about it.

Breakfast consisted of stale cereal and water, which the omega ate on the living room couch. There were only so many things he could fill his days with and Carl felt boredom creeping in uninvited as he sat there. The idea of taking things for granted came back to him as well. Being bored was a luxury not many were afforded these days, hell he was _lucky_ to be feeling this instead of fear.

He didn’t want to forget though, hadn’t when they first got here and wouldn’t change his mind. With only one good eye he would have to relearn everything that kept him alive until now, from knifes to shooting. Feeling restless, Carl stood up, pacing the length of the room. He froze by the window when a dangerous idea came to him. The adults wouldn’t approve of this, but the more he thought about it the more certain he was. He _needed_ to try.

Enid would understand, but Carl was hesitant to bring her into this. Her protective alpha instincts might make it hard for her to see beyond all the possible ways he could get hurt.

He knew exactly who to ask though.

-

Carl felt like an idiot as he left the house, constantly looking over his shoulder and half expecting his dad to jump out of the bushes. It was ridiculous, but guilt made him jumpy while determination pushed him forward. This was the first time he actually left the house since he was released from the infirmary. Eating cake on the porch didn’t count.

He cautiously approached the wall, seeing Eugene on gate duty. The woman he was looking for was exactly where he thought she would be, high on the platform keeping watch. Hopefully no one would know he even came here in the first place.

Taking a deep breath, the omega did his best to seem confident (hoping the awkward beta wouldn’t say anything) as he strode towards the wall. The wooden steps leading up to the platform were a lot steeper than the stairs in the house, so took his time going up. Rick would never let him leave his room again if he fell.

“Go home, kid.”

Startling, Carl almost missed a step and exhaled in relief when he didn’t. Heart hammering in his throat, he lifted his eye to see Rosita watching him. Defiance was clearly written on his face as he climbed the rest of the way, real confidence making him steady. She snorted at the display, turning to watch the woods again.

“You should be in bed.” The beta told him, voice flat with disinterest. “Why aren’t you?”

“I need your help.” Carl knew his voice was pleading, expecting a refusal and arming himself with arguments to convince her. “Teach me how to improve my aim again. Please.”

Rosita lowered the machine gun in her hands, turning to look at him fully. Her face was a mask and the boy had no idea what she was thinking.

Scrambling to explain, he started talking again, “Doesn’t have to be with a gun yet, we could practice with knifes until I can do it. I could throw them at a target or something.”

“Does Rick know about this?” She asked, ignoring his words.

“No.” He whispered, aware that this was a deal breaker. Rick was her pack alpha too and she would definitively be in trouble if he found out. And he would eventually, but Carl would cross that bridge when they came to it.

“Can you handle it, kid? Be honest.” Rosita demanded, eyes narrowed as she watched him. The omega wondered what she could smell in his scent, if his guilt was coming through loud and clear or his anger at being called weak overwhelmed everything else.

“Yes, I can handle it. I got shot, not bitten.” The boy snapped back, huffing in exasperation. He looked outside, cursing his fucked up vision when he had to turn his head to manage it. “And I don’t want to be, that’s why I need your help.”

They were silent for a minute as she made her decision, Carl already thinking of alternatives in case she wasn’t convinced. He could ask Sasha, she _might_ be willing to go out of her way to help him.

“Aaron!” Rosita shouted suddenly, leaning over the railing to catch the attention of the man who had been casually walking down the street. Carl watched in confusion, unsure if she was calling the other beta to escort him home or not. “Can you take over for me?”

“Sure.” Aaron agreed easily, coming up to the platform instead of continuing on his way. When his gaze fell on Carl as he climbed the last steps, he asked, “Why?”

“I forgot I have to do something. Carl was nice enough to remind me.” She lied so smoothly, even the omega almost believed her. “Gabriel will relieve you later.”

“Okay.” The man agreed, taking everything in stride. “See you around, Carl.”

Rosita gave the other beta her machine gun before making her way down, giving Carl a clear _follow me_ look as she passed him.

“Bye, Aaron.” The boy said distractedly, too focused on not stepping on Rosita’s hands to give the beta a proper goodbye.

She was studying him when he finally landed on the ground, arms crossed and hip cocked. They stood there for a second before she said, “You’re not ready to be throwing knifes around. Don’t argue.”

Carl closed his mouth, swallowing the complaint.

“We’re doing something else. Come on.”

It was a clear order and part of him wanted to rebel against being told what to do and assert his independence. The omega in him revelled in it though, warmth spreading in his belly as he followed her dutifully. If letting her lead got him what he wanted, then Carl would do it. Besides, she was family and they had been through a lot together to get here. He trusted her not to abuse this power.

They were silent as she led him to the one of the largest houses in the community, once the place where all the important decisions were made. Spencer lived alone in there now, the last member of the Monroe family. He didn’t know the man well, but that kind of loss couldn’t be easy. Rosita banged on the door unceremoniously, both of them standing at the top of the stairs leading to the door. Carl hoped she didn’t see the way he clung to the metal railing when they came up.

“Yes?” Spencer asked as he opened the door, looking impatiently at the two of them. “Can I help you?”

“As a matter of fact, yes you can.” Rosita answered, positioning herself between Carl and the older beta. It was instinct, to protect the most vulnerable members of the pack, specially the young and the omegas. Carl fit both of those categories and he allowed himself feel safe at the gesture (ignoring the part of him that whispered _weak_ ). It also meant the man was forced to look at her. “You have a board and darts, right? Carl needs them for target practice.”

“So?”

Rosita was skinny and small compared to the beta in front of them, but the way she held herself was enough to have Spencer shifting uneasily. _No_ , was not an acceptable answer here and Carl pitied the poor man for thinking he could win against the storm that was the Latina.

“I know you have a board and darts. You don’t need them.” She enunciated each word slowly, what she thought of Spencer’s intelligence clearly implied. “Don’t be a dick, let them kid have them.”

The man examined the omega and Carl stared right back. He stood his ground a step behind Rosita, showing him she was the one in charge of this negotiation. The glare he levelled at the man told another story, warning dire consequences for a lack of cooperation. He’d follow Rosita if she walked away, but Spencer didn’t need to know that.

“And?” The woman crossed her arms, head tilting to the side mockingly as she pressed him. “Are we standing here all day or…”

“Fine. I’ll get it.” Spencer relented with a frown, gaze shifting to Carl one last time before he moved back into the house.

“Asshole.” Rosita whispered, loud enough that he was sure it was meant to be heard.

The boy was glad she seemed to like him, pack member or not.

They waited in silence, the beta’s tapping foot betraying her impatience. Carl was getting a little nervous too, thinking Enid might find an empty house today if this took much longer. A couple of minutes latter, Spencer reappeared with the requested items tucked inside a plastic bag. He all but trusted it into Rosita’s hands, mouth twisted in anger.

“Thanks.” She lied badly this time, a fake smile on her lips.

Carl only nodded, before following the older woman away from the house. Rosita took him past the cemetery and into the new part of the community. They had completed the expansion and rebuilt the parts that were down in the almost two weeks he spent recovering. The houses were unoccupied here, all build in the same general style of theirs (with two stories and a porch). She took him into the light blue one closest to the metal plates, walking inside without waiting for him to catch up. He did.

The interior of the house was eerily similar to theirs, with an open kitchen plan and a living room together with the dining room. There was a layer of dust over everything though and a musty smell from being closed for so long. This would have been someone’s home, a place where they felt safe and happy. Now it was a roof and walls, protection from the outside, nothing more.

“Here.” She said and the boy turned to watch as she arranged the board on an empty nail (it was probably meant for a painting or a watch). It was more or less the right height though, so the omega figured it would have to do. “We’ll star with these before moving to the sharp stuff, okay?”

“Yeah.” Carl replied, taking the darts she handed to him.

“Show me how bad this is going to be.” Rosita demanded, a small smile softening the bite from the words.

The first time was indeed humiliating. He missed by a long shot, dart landing on the wall instead of anywhere inside the board. This was going to take forever to master.

“Again.”

Carl tried again and missed.

-

The house was still empty when he got back a couple of hours later. Rosita was a slave driver, pushing him to try again and again and again. His hand had been cramping by the end of the first hour when she finally let him rest for a while. By the time she decided they were done Carl had hit the board exactly once, dart landing on the outer edge of it.

Rosita looked proud anyway, patting him on the shoulder as she told him to meet her again tomorrow.

Now he was dead tired, hand twitching from the prolonged muscle use. The wound in his head was starting to bother him too and he longed to just swallow his meds and sleep straight until tomorrow. That was exactly what he did as soon as he reached his room, barely managing to kick his boots off before sleep stole him away.

-

“Hey,” Michonne shook him gently, voice low in the silence of his room. “Enid’s waiting for you outside.”

“Outside?” Carl mumbled, groggily sitting up on the bed and shooting the beta a confused look. “Why?”

“Don’t know.” Michonne shrugged, gently tucking his messy hair behind his ear. “She did say you’d need your shoes this time.”

Chucking, Carl slid out of the pile of blankets on his bed (making a mental note to tidy up soon). Tying his boots under the samurai’s watchful gaze, the omega found himself smiling at his feet, excited to see his alpha again. He wasn’t even tired anymore, despite not having slept more than a couple of hours. With that happiness in mind, he grabbed the thick jacket she gave him.

“Is this another date?” Michonne asked as they made their way to the first floor, where his dad and Carol sat at the dinner table (maps spread in front of them). “Should we set a curfew?”

Carl rolled his eye at the teasing, giving her a fake warning look. Rick pulled him into a goodbye hug before he could leave, a whisper of _have fun_ in his ear. Carol patted his arm with a knowing smile, while Michonne pretended to wipe away a tear of emotion in the background. Rolling his eye again for good measure, Carl gave her a hug too, breathing in her calming cinnamon scent.

Enid was on the edge of the porch when he stepped out, back towards him and head tilted as she watched the stars. He approached her silently, not wanting to startle her but wanting to be closer. They stood there side by side for a couple of seconds, silently taking in the Milky Way stretched across the sky.

“Hi.” She finally spoke, turning to him with a gorgeous smile on her lips. Carl swore there were stars shining in her eyes. “I have a surprise for you.”

“Yeah?” The omega asked, feeling a little dumbstruck with how lucky he was that this amazing alpha wanted him.

Her hand was warm and soft against his, their fingers lacing together automatically when she reached for him. Enid pulled him down the steps and onto the street beyond, seeming in no hurry to get where they were going. She told him about her move as they walked, how Maggie helped her arrange her things in her new room.

They were in the empty part of Alexandria when they stopped, the blue house Carl had spent the afternoon training with Rosita stood a few doors down the street. Being here made him anxious, the truth of his earlier whereabouts lodged in his throat and itching to come spiling out.

She turned to look at him, stepping closer as she asked, “Close your eye?”

The omega did, trusting her to guide him wherever she wanted him to go. His nerves evaporated as she reached for his other hand, pulling him forward slowly.

“There’re a couple of steps here.” Enid warned, patiently helping him climb up to what he assumed was a porch. He could hear the sound of a door opening, hinges whining as it did. The lights were brighter when she led him inside, releasing one of his hands to push the door closed behind them. “You can look now.”

Eye fluttering open, Carl’s gaze landed on the alpha and her nervous smile. She glanced to the side and he followed, turning his head towards the room. He didn’t really see anything at first, before focusing on the table in the back. It was set properly, with a towel and plates and glasses. Knifes and forks were arranged beside the plates and steaming dishes sat in front of them, along with two soda cans.

“Did you… did you do all this?” The boy marvelled, unsure where to look first. He hadn’t seen anything like this since the last time Lori cooked and _that_ was before his dad got shot.

“Yeah. I mean, I got the meat from Daryl and Carol gave me the recipe for the sauce. The rice came from the pantry, obviously. We still have plenty of bags. Surprisingly few people eat rice around here. Then, well the sodas were harder, but Tara–“

Carl interrupted her rambling with a kiss. The position was a little awkward, but he pulled her closer anyway, hand wrapped around the front of her jacket. This was the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for him and she had clearly gone to great lengths to do it. They pressed their foreheads together when the separated, smiling like idiots.

“I just wanted everything to be perfect.” Enid whispered, her breath warm against his lips.

“It _is_ perfect.” The omega assured her, their noses bumping together softly as he shifted back to look at her. “Thank you.”

She held him in place with a hand against his cheek, fingers brushing the underside of his bandage. It made him uncomfortable, to have her so close to his wound like that. He wasn’t afraid she’d physically hurt him, he knew she wouldn’t, but it was a reminder of the disfiguration hidden under layers of gauze.

Another kiss distracted him, her lips gently coaching a reaction out of him. Carl had no idea if she realized his plight, but soon her hand slid away to its usual place on the nape of his neck. Relaxing, he kissed back, his own hands curling around her hips.

“Okay, wait.” The alpha broke the kiss, stepping away from him slightly as her other hand came to rest on his chest. “Food first, then kissing.”

Snorting, the boy agreed and they moved towards the table hand in hand.

“How long did this take?” He asked, curious to know if she had struggled to prepare all this for him. The idea made his earlier guilt heavier in his chest and he had to look away from the affection in her eyes, gaze lowering to stare at the food as he sat.

“Not as long as I thought it would, to be honest.” Enid told him, one of her feet pressing against his under the table as she settled. “Maggie helped a little and Glenn found the… Oh, I forgot to do it.” Making a face, the girl jumped to her feet, throwing the words over her shoulder as she rushed to the kitchen, “Hang on.”

Confused, Carl watched her grab a couple of objects from the counter before joining him again with a smile. Her hands had been cleverly hidden behind her back as she did it, peaking his curiosity.

“Ta-da!” With a flourish, Enid placed the mysterious object in the middle of the table. It was a candle, long and white with a silver base. Her other hand held a box of matches, which she used to light the wick. “Sorry, that was lame. But Glenn told me candles are romantic, so…”

Shrugging, Enid sat back down and Carl stared at her for a second before looking at the dancing flame. To him, candles were the only source of light his family had for a long time. Something with a practical application rather than a decorative one, but things were different now. And it did cast a nice yellow glow, painting shadows on the face of the girl sitting across from him.

“It’s cool.” He said, smiling at her, wanting nothing more than to kiss her again.

“Just eat already, dork.” The alpha told him, cheeks faintly red as she did.

Carl chuckled, shaking his head at her words before following them. He served a little of everything to his plate, piling meat and rice with a generous amount of sauce. Enid popped their sodas open while he was occupied, the hiss of the escaping gas made excitement bubble in his chest. This was amazing.

The girl served herself after he was done and he waited for her, waited for his alpha before eating like a proper omega should. It was one of the things Beth had taught him, though technically everyone was supposed to wait for the pack alpha anyway. The betas in his family did it with his dad. She rolled her eyes when she saw him watching her, pointedly shoving rice in her mouth.

Pointing his tongue at her (in a show of incredible maturity, obviously), Carl started to carefully cut his meat. His fine motor skills still left something to be desired and he didn’t want to ruin the night with his struggles. It was worth the wait though, the combination of meat, rice and creamy sauce tasted incredible.

“What animal is this? It’s pretty good.” The boy asked, chewing thoughtfully, trying to separate the flavour of meat from the spices in the sauce.

“I don’t actually know, figured it was best not to ask.” Enid answered with a laugh, swallowing her bite. “Hopefully it’s not something weird, like a dog.”

Snorting, Carl had a wry smile on his face when he said, “It’s not dog, trust me.”

“Wait, really? Eww.” They laughed together at her disgusted face, before she leaned forward with a competitive look shining in her eyes. “I ate a turtle once. Raw.”

“That’s fucking gross. Way worse than dog meat! At least we cooked it.” Carl exclaimed, covering his mouth with a hand as he made fake vomiting noises at the thought.

“Ha! I win the gross challenge.” She announced in a singsong voice, fist pumping the air in victory.

“Yeah, that’s one challenge I don’t really care about winning.” The omega made a face, trying to push away the image of Enid eating a raw turtle as he ate his own meat. His curiosity won out in the end though and he added, “How did you even break the carapace?”

The alpha didn’t seem that grossed out by the memory, but Carl felt the same about the dog incident. Hopefully he’d never have to do it again, but it hardly bothered him anymore. It was better than starving. In that sense, Enid’s turtle had probably served the same purpose. Survival.

“I broke its legs off first, before smashing it with a rock.” She explained, hands drawing images in the air as Carl watched enraptured. “It’s way more trouble than it’s worth, to be honest. Not a lot of meat.”

“Food’s food though.” The boy pondered, grateful that his pack now had enough to do something like this. Enough to live, not just survive. “At least we know it’s not dog or turtle. Might be an opossum, it’s stringy.”

“I guess.” She considered the taste, chewing another piece along with the sauce and rice. “Who knows _what_ Daryl finds in these woods.”

“True.” Carl agreed, knowing the hunter could have brought them anything.

They sticked to light hearted conversation throughout the rest of the night, even when they eventually migrated to the couch. Enid had clearly cleaned the house before bringing him here, there was less dust than in the house he and Rosita used. The alpha brought out a deck of cards when they sat, _Uno_ clearly written on the frayed package.

“How do you always find the best things?” Carl shook his head in disbelief, he hadn’t played Uno since forever. Rick used to indulge him in a couple of games some nights before bed, though his younger self wouldn’t have minded playing all night long.

“Rule number one of scavenging: there is nothing left in this world that isn’t hidden.” Enid quoted, nudging his foot with hers. “Take those off and scoot over.”

He did, dropping his boots to the floor before sitting sideways on the couch, legs crossed in front of him. Enid did the same on the other side, leaving an empty space between them.

“I should warn you, I’m really good at this game.” The omega declared, shooting the alpha a challenging look.

“We’ll see, sport. We’ll see.”

-

They were riding on a high when they finally left the house, chasing each other through the dark street leading back to their homes. It was the closest to freedom Carl had felt since the attack happened and he hadn’t realized how much he missed running until now. The wind in his hair, the adrenaline from the exercise and Enid beside him.

Slowing down, they laughed breathlessly as they walked along the lake. Enid reached for his hand again and he gladly twined his fingers with hers, palms pressed together.

“I missed this.” Carl whispered, too aware of the dark houses looming over them.

“What?” She questioned, tilting her head to look at him, hair cascading down her shoulder with the movement.

“Running.” He explained, free hand gesturing towards the walls. “It’s almost like being out there, like nothing’s changed.”

“Things have changed though.” Enid argued, swinging their hands between them. Seriousness was clear in her rosemary scent, where before only happiness resided. “We’ve changed. What happened was horrible and you’re suffering because of it, but for me it was a wake up call.”

Carl thought about what she was telling him, pushing his own biases away so he could look at things from her perspective.

“I understand, I guess.” The boy said, stopping between their houses. He could see the wall in the background, a dark presence keeping them safe (keeping the monsters out and the people in). The gauze was warm from his skin when he touched it, covering the area with his hand as he turned to her. “We’ve changed, whether we like it or not. And now we have to make the best of things, learn to live again.”

The smile Enid gave him was small and tender, happiness and sadness engraved on the curve of her lips. She touched the back of his raised hand with the pads of her fingers, grip on his other hand tightening.

“Now we learn to live again. Together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Btw, the biologist in me has to point out that what Enid ate in the woods is actually a tortoise, not a turtle. Tortoises are terrestrial, while turtles are aquatic, and she found it in the middle of the woods. It also had a prety tall carapace, which is usually a tortoise thing. I figured neither of them would know any of this though, so I went with turtle.)


	7. Official Day 9 & 10 (where we skip forward a week)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another week passed without Carl realizing, now three weeks since the herd broke in. Since he got shot. Time had flown by, probably because he was twice as busy. Between secretly training with Rosita every afternoon and meeting Enid in the evenings, his days were full to the brim. He slept like the dead most nights. Or maybe not quite like the dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is unbetaed, same as usual, so if you catch any mistakes feel free to point them out to me.
> 
> Enjoy! :D
> 
> WARNING: There's a mention of canon attempted rape (with the Claimers) at the begining of this chapter, proceed with caution if it can trigger you. You can skip the fourth paragraph or go straight to the first - mark if needed.

Another week passed without Carl realizing, now three weeks since the herd broke in. Since he got shot. Time had flown by, probably because he was twice as busy. Between secretly training with Rosita every afternoon and meeting Enid in the evenings, his days were full to the brim. He slept like the dead most nights. Or maybe not quite like the dead.

Either way, he had little time left to be bored or to indulge in dark thoughts. Carl still woke up drenched in sweat some nights though, gunshot ringing in his ears. Sometimes he was the one holding the gun, his mother on the ground, bloodied and ripped in a way that wasn’t quite real. Others he relived through the fall of the prison, Hershel’s head rolling away as his dad shot at the Governor uselessly in the background – finding Judith’s empty chair.

Those were bad, but nothing like the ones where Ron didn’t miss (Rick’s head exploding from the bullet) or when he _did_ , only it hit a little to the left. Nothing left for Denise to bring him back from.

Carl would stare at the ceiling for a couple of hours after those, heart hammering in his chest and adrenaline cursing through his veins. Among all the bad memories his brain could choose from every night, the omega was grateful that the ones from the road to Terminus hadn’t made a recent appearance. This wouldn’t last forever, he knew, but he’d take whatever reprieve he could get.

His mornings were spent sleeping, to make up for the hours he lost during the nights and the exhaustion from the training. Rosita had managed to convince Rick to give her the morning watch, Enid now officially working in the afternoon. Pride at how far his alpha had come bloomed in his chest at the thought, she really was pack now. And she was showing everyone that just because they were young it didn’t mean they were useless, meant to be sheltered from the bad things in the world instead of fighting against them.

Now if only they would believe he could do it too.

-

Enid got it now. Carl was right, Alexandria wasn’t too big to protect if they did it together. She finally felt like a part of this pack, pulling her own weight as she took over Maggie’s shifts at the wall. The beta now mostly worked with Glenn on their small field while planning to extend. The early morning shift had been the perfect time and the girl found she enjoyed watching the world waking up.

Rick had joined her on the platform by the end of her second morning (the day after the dinner date), nodding to the girl as they stood there, gazing at the woods beyond their community.

“How has the job been treatin’ you?” He eventually asked, a hand unconsciously wrapped around the handle of his Colt Python as his eyes searched for threats. “Thank you, by the way.”

“It’s better than doing nothing. Besides, Maggie should take it easy.” Enid answered, glancing at the man next to her with a frown. “Thank you for what?”

“For makin’ Carl happy.” The alpha turned to her, a rare smile stretching across his bearded face.

“Oh.” She exhaled softly, red tinting her cheeks as she thought about her omega. “He makes me happy too.”

“Good.” Rick said, a tone of finality in the word and Enid was relieved that he hadn’t asked for details. She didn’t think he’d like to hear what she and Carl got up to together. Her lips tingled at the memories. Reality came crashing back down when he continued, “I know the mornin’ shift was Maggie’s, but I’m gonna need you on the afternoon one instead.”

The warmth Enid had just glimpsed vanished, Rick the father was now Rick the leader and she considered his words as such. There was no reason to protest the change, the girl had nowhere else to be. It would still keep her nights free to spend with Carl, perhaps the mornings too. Hopefully at some point in the future there would be no break between the two, they’d be together until she left for her shift.

It was with that idea running through her head that she agreed, excitement barely repressed as she longed for those days. She spent her afternoons high on the wall now and her nights ran late with Carl. While her wildest dreams had yet to come true, she figured they could spend the mornings together anyway. Even if it was just lazing around reading comics. That hadn’t happened yet either, Carl sleeping in most mornings.

Michonne did let her up the first morning she tried, but he’d looked so tired she couldn’t disturb him. She had wanted to join him though, to just slip under the covers beside him and sleep. After running her fingers through his hair softly, Enid left.

-

The alpha hadn’t had the time to plan any other elaborate dates in the week since the dinner, work taking up a lot of her time. Carl didn’t seem to mind though, happy to just play card games or talk about whatever most nights. As they retreated into the empty house they had taken to calling theirs, they kept their activities outside of parental view.

She was incredibly grateful for that.

This evening they had come back to the house as usual, a couple of protein bars and water bottles littering the coffee table. It wasn’t an Uno day or a talking day, not even a comic one as a couple of issues were strewn across the floor. Enid pulled Carl’s hair instead, grip tightening around the strands as he moaned. The kiss intensified in response, tongues dancing between them passionately.

They had started sitting side by side on the couch, innocently enjoying their comics in a companionable silence. Carl was now leaning back against the armrest, the alpha practically sitting on his lap. She could feel the hardness in his jeans, just as she had the first time they kissed, but he didn’t shy away this time. They both shifted as he adjusted his position, slipping further down the couch until he was almost lying down. Enid moved with him, straddling the omega properly as she bent over him, free arm resting beside his head.

Panting, they stared at each other – taking in the flushed cheeks and messy hairs. Carl’s was a sight, fanned out on a halo against the fabric of the couch, a portion wrapped around Enid’s hand. She loved his hair, soft and wavy, curling around the edges if left to its own devices. It wasn’t being left to its own devices tonight and the alpha planned to hold on to it for the duration of this make out session.

“Is this okay?” She asked, resting her forehead against his as she waited for the answer. The coarse feeling of the bandage around his head, instead of warm skin, threw her off a little. A reminder that they should take it easy, that he was far from healed.

“Yeah.” The boy replied, craning his neck to get to her lips again.

He huffed impatiently when she moved slightly out of reach, dropping his head back to the armrest.

“You sure? No pain?” Enid pressed, untangling her fingers from his hair momentarily to gently trace the underside of the gauze covering his eye. Carl stiffened under her touch, hand leaving her waist to wrap around her wrist instead.

“It’s fine.” He assured her, pulling her hand away with a glare (that she should not find as attractive as she did). “I’ll tell you if I want to stop, okay?”

Rolling her eyes at the tone, she let him direct her hand towards the couch, landing half on his hair half on the faded brown surface. She studied him, looking for confirmation that he actually _would_ tell her. Stubborn idiot that he was. The glare softened a little under her scrutiny, the hand on her wrist moving upwards in caress until he reached her shoulder, long fingers stretching to touch her cheek.

“I don’t _need_ you to protect me, you know that right?” Carl whispered, eye following the path of his fingers. She could barely feel them tracing her puffy cheeks, but when he dipped lower to run his thumb over her lower lip she felt fire slide down her spine to settle in her belly. “I can take care of myself.”

“I’m going to give you a choice here, okay? Number one: we talk about this. Number two: we kiss some more.” Enid really couldn’t concentrate on any difficult topics right now, not when she could feel the heat of his body under hers and smell the arousal lingering in his petrichor scent.

They should talk about this, how he connected concern for his wellbeing with being weak, but maybe not this second.

Tilting his head, pale neck drawing her eyes like a moth to a flame, Carl seemed to be considering his answer. Pursue the debate about weakness or continue their make out session.

The hand on her cheek shifted to the back of her head and he pulled her closer, his breath warm on her lips as he said, “Number two now, we’ll do one later.”

“Sounds fair.” The alpha agreed, connecting their lips again.

She kissed him hard, arms bracketing his head in place as she explored his mouth. The omega was panting when she drew back, pulling on his bottom lip with her teeth gently. Eyes landing on his tempting neck again, Enid shifted to kiss him there (receiving a gasp in response). Carl’s hands slid down to her thighs, grip tightening when she nipped the sensitive skin in front of her.

The girl wanted to mark him up, fill his creamy skin with love bites everyone would see. She longed to just… He groaned loudly and Enid sat up, mouth releasing his neck. Desperately, she jumped forward to run her fingers over the red imprint her teeth left behind. When it was clear she hadn’t broken his skin, she deflated, forehead pressed against his chest as she tried to calm her racing heart.

“Enid?” Carl’s voice was rough, confusion clear in his scent. Still not even close to matching the amount of desire floating in the air around them.

“Sorry.” She said, lifting her head to look at him. Fuck, she could see the bite mark vividly against his pale skin. It made her itch to sink her teeth there properly, make him hers. “I got carried away there for a second.”

“Oh.” He seemed to realize what had almost happened, eyes widening as he repeated her inspection. Wincing slightly when his fingers connected with the bite, Carl sighed in relief.

Yep, no accidental mating there. Only an _almost_ accidental mating.

“Does it hurt? Shit, I’m so sorry.” Enid repeated her apology, hands fluttering uselessly in the air. She shifted closer, unsure what to do. He hadn’t even had a heat yet and she almost… Hell.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” The omega told her, laughing at the panicked look on her face. “I actually kind of like it.”

“Omegas.” She said, shaking her head fondly.

“Alphas.” He mimicked sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Always overreacting.”

-

“I don’t think you’re weak.” Enid started, thinking they’ve had enough of a break since settling into different sides of the couch, their legs tangled between them.

The discarded comic books had been retrieved and she was trying to concentrate on the story, rather than stare at the lingering redness of her omega’s cheeks. He met her gaze with a raised eyebrow, clearly not expecting her to remember their earlier deal.

“I know.” Carl said with a sigh, lowering his Spider-Man issue to rest on his thighs. “It’s just… Everyone else does.”

The alpha straightened, pulling herself into a sitting position (rather than the slouched one she had been in before), and argued, “That’s not true.”

“It is.” He shook his head, eye aimed at her but locked into a memory she couldn’t follow. “Dad still treats me like child, no matter how many times he’s told me I’m a man. The rest of the group sees the same: a child and an omega. They don’t see _me_. I hate that.”

“Maybe you just have to show them.” She tried, Maggie and Glenn smiling proudly at her when she asked to let her help coming to the forefront of her mind. “I’m sure most of them only need a push in the right direction. But they’ll always worry, these people care about you. Rick does. They don’t want you getting hurt. It’s not about age or dynamic.”

“I know they care, but…” Carl stopped, frowning at the pages in his lap as he continued, “But now that my aim is fucked, it feels smothering. Like I’m twelve and scared again.”

In a rush, ideas flying through her head, Enid moved to sit on the armrest behind her. She planted her feet on the couch cushion she had been sitting on before, hands raising to gesture excitedly as she said, “What if we do something?”

“Like what?” The boy asked, looking amused at her reaction. He threw his comic at the coffee table and it surprised her when it landed exactly where it should.

“Like training!” She explained, warming up to the idea more after seeing his improved aim. “What better way to show everyone you’re not some weak twelve year old? We could get some guns and go out into the woods, go far enough not to attract walkers to the community.”

Carl’s expression was not the excitement she had been expecting, rather he looked disappointed, one leg stretching to kick at her.

“You’re crazy if you think dad’s gonna let us go outside like that.” He reminded her, a strange expression settling on his face as he continued, “It’s a good idea though.”

“It _is_ , we just have to find a way to make it work.” The alpha said, heatedly poking the ripped leather of the cushion beside her. What would convince an overprotective alpha parent to let his omega son go shoot things in the woods? She smiled as the solution came to her, adding, “We could ask Maggie and Glenn to come with us.”

“Maggie and Glenn?”

“Yeah! Rick trusts them and I trust them.” Enid counted the two reasons on her fingers, sure they could make this work. “And they can help you.”

“Glenn’s the beta who has been with us the longest.” Carl pondered, biting his lower lip as he considered her idea. She hoped he’d at least agree to try, if the adults couldn’t be convinced she’d find another way to train him. “It might actually work. Won’t be easy though.”

“It _will_ work.” She corrected him, nudging his foot with a grin. “Come here. We’re celebrating my awesome idea.”

Snorting, Carl did as he was told and moved along the length of the couch to kneel between her spread legs.

“This can’t be safe.” The omega whispered against her cheek, arms curling behind her back in support.

“But it’s worth it.” Enid countered, pulling him by the nape of his neck into another kiss.

She though about how easily Rick had acquiesced when she had requested his blessing to court Carl. This wouldn’t be as hard as the omega seemed to think.

It didn’t work out exactly like she thought it would.

-

They were in Carl’s living room later that night, trying to put her plan into motion. Now all they needed was for Rick to agree. Getting Maggie and Glenn on board hadn’t been hard, all it took was for the four of them to sit around the dinner table with maps spread in front of them as they decided where to go. The couple were adamant that safety came first and refused to go too far from Alexandria. But Enid had clearly underestimated their pack alpha.

Rick didn’t look convinced by the whole thing, stern gaze shifting from the beta couple to Carl’s pleading expression. Finally, he spoke, “I’m not sure this is a good idea. It’s too soon. Two weeks is not enough, son.”

“Will it ever be? Are you ever going to let me go back out there?” The omega snapped, questions thrown life knifes in the air between them. “And it’s been almost three weeks.”

Enid watched the proceedings, relieved that Rick wasn’t chewing her out for coming up with the whole idea in the first place. She hadn’t meant for them to fight like this though, the alpha’s heightened protectiveness clashing with Carl’s independence. If there was one thing the boy had made blatantly clear was that he didn’t enjoy being coddled.

“Doesn’t matter.” Rick replied, voice rising in volume to match his son’s almost shouts. “It’s too dangerous.”

Glenn and Maggie shared a look, seeming to have an entire conversation through eye contact. She was pulled back into the fight when Carl tried to argue again.

“It does matter! It’ll always be too dangerous if I can’t protect myself. I have to relearn how.”

The leader only shook his head, turning to the silent couple abruptly and demanded, a desperate undertone to his words, “Can you promise me he’ll be safe?”

“Yes.” Maggie agreed as Glenn nodded beside her. They looked confident of their ability to do exactly that, though they all knew such promises weren’t the kind to last forever.

“And you?”

Enid startled when Rick finally acknowledged her presence, mouth pressed into a hard line as he waited for her answer. The world was a dangerous place and people needed to know how to fend for themselves, a group was only as good as their members. Carl _needed_ this, but perhaps more importantly, he _wanted_ it. And she had to make sure he would survive for as long as possible. Her omega.

“I promise.” She said, straightening her back. Rick couldn’t intimidate her into changing her mind. The leader’s citrus scent was full of anger and overprotectiveness, confidence and a different shade of protectiveness in her own rosemary danced in the air around them.

“Dad…” Carl spoke, an understanding look on his face as the older man shifted his attention back to the omega. “Look, Maggie and Glenn are going to be with us the whole time. And _I_ promise we’ll be okay.”

He shot her a look, something written in his gaze before he turned back to his father. It hit her a second later: he was still angry. The tone of the speech he had just given was meant to appease Rick into letting them go, to appeal to the man’s alpha instincts. It was brilliant and defiant and she wanted to kiss him breathless. She raised one of her eyebrows, a _message received_ hidden in the gesture.

They had their own silent conversations.

With a sigh, Rick seemed to deflate, anger slipping away for the moment. He laid both of his hands on Carl’s shoulders, head bending a little so they were eye to eye.

“You do what Maggie and Glenn say, okay? No heroics. You stick with them.” There was a clear order in his tone, alpha influence heavy in the citrus scent.

“I will.” The boy agreed, nodding slightly, hair shifting on his shoulders along with the movement.

Satisfied, the leader straightened with an answering nod before pointing towards Enid and adding, “You too.”

“I will.”

-

The four of them exited through the front gates with no questions asked the next morning, Heath on gate duty. Rosita was up on the platform for the morning shift, watching them carry a bag of weapons outside through narrowed eyes. Staring back, Enid tried to figure out why the beta was so intrigued by their activity when she threw them a salute, proud smile on her lips.

Confused, she turned to Carl to see if he thought it was just as weird. The look on his face told her everything. That salute wasn’t for them, it was for _him_. The omega was smiling back at the woman, faint pink colouring his cheeks.

“Watch it out there, kid!” Rosita shouted over the sound of the closing gate, eyes still locked on Carl’s.

“I will.” He replied, waving to her with the hand not holding tightly to the handle of his knife.

Maggie and Glenn didn’t seem to think anything of the exchange, unsheathing their guns, eyes sharp on the trees. Enid did the same, gripping the handle of her own gun hard enough her fingers turned white. What the hell was that? She knew Carl considered Rosita family, just like all the other members of his original group, but she didn’t think they were particularly close.

Stomach churning, she pitched her voice low as she asked, “Did you tell Rosita about this?”

The alpha sensed his eye on her, but kept her gaze firmly on the path Glenn and Maggie were taking them through.

“No. It’s complicated.” Carl answered, sighing in resignation before continuing, “Okay, I’m going to tell you something and you’re not allowed to freak out about it.”

“Now I’ll definitively freak out.” She mocked, levelling her best unimpressed gaze at him.

“I… I mean, we…” He stuttered and Enid had to hold back a smile, he was so cute.

Keeping one eye on the beta couple a few steps in front of them, she slowed her pace, touching his forearm to signify he should follow her lead. He did, matching her speed with a reluctant look on his face.

Heart clenching in her chest, the girl decided to give him an out, “You don’t _have_ to tell me, okay?”

“I know. I want to, have wanted for the last week, but… I guess I was scared.”

The day was just as cold as the last few had been, sunlight coming down in uneven patches between darkening clouds and the thick canopy. It was going to rain soon and the air was heavy with humidity as they walked further into the woods. She could still discern his natural petrichor from the other smells around them, filled with guilt and something that was almost righteousness. But not quite. The alpha didn’t press further, letting him continue on his own pace.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously, before finally saying, “Rosita has been helping me improve my aim.”

“What?” She exclaimed (a little too loudly), alerting the two adults that they were lagging behind.

“Guys, we promised Rick we’d stick together.” Glenn admonished them, both him and Maggie stopping so they could catch up. The woman had an amused smile on her lips at the way they hastened their pace.

“Good. Not much further now.” She told them, giving her husband a nod to go ahead before shifting to the end of their group.

Glenn led them away from the trail, while Maggie brought up the rear. Enid had no idea how she was going to question Carl’s sanity now, with the two betas so close. It’s not that she didn’t trust them, but she was sure Rick had no clue about this, especially considering his reaction last night. And the two were _his_ betas and keeping secrets from the pack alpha was a no-go.

She understood why Carl said she wasn’t allowed to freak out, because that’s exactly what she was doing. Did they practice with guns? No she would have heard the shots and Olivia would have to be in the secret too. Knifes maybe? The alpha felt her blood boil at the though, the amount of damage he could do to himself with those was extensive. He seemed okay though, all fingers still attached and all.

Angry at being lied to, especially about something so important, she moved away slightly when he reached for her hand. He seemed to falter at the gesture, before his knife switched hands (now being held between them). Frowning at nothing, Enid couldn’t help the felling that she lost this battle.

“Okay, this is the place.” Glenn announced, leading them into a clearing. It was removed from the path, but still fairly close to the community that back up wouldn’t take long if they needed it. Rick had given them a walkie-talkie and they were supposed to check in every half hour. “We can draw targets on the trees.”

“Won’t the noise attract walkers?” Carl questioned and Enid watched his back as he walked away from her, both him and Glenn crouching over the gun bag.

“Everythin’ okay?” Maggie whispered, coming to stand beside the girl (depressingly closer than Carl had been for the last fifteen minutes).

Glenn was saying something about silencers, but she was watching the worry growing in the woman’s eyes.

“Yeah.” She replied automatically, before deciding to trust the beta with part of the problem, hoping she’d understand. “Not really. Carl has been keeping something big from me.”

“Did he tell you just now?” Maggie asked and Enid realized the beta had seen her reject Carl’s touch.

“Not all of it, but enough.” The alpha admitted, turning to watch as Glenn handed Carl a Beretta handgun and put a machinegun back inside the bag. Of course he had wanted to start with one of the larger guns, she thought fondly.

“You know, I went through something similar with Glenn when he first met.”

“Really? I didn’t think Glenn could lie.” Enid replied, interested in the chance to learn more about the couple’s past.

“That was the problem. I asked him to keep somethin’ a secret, somethin’ dangerous, and he didn’t.” Maggie explained, turning to her with an understanding expression. “I was furious at the time, but now I know he was right. Talk to Carl.”

-

Carl hit the outer edge of the makeshift target, lowering the gun with a satisfied smile on his lips. His aim really had improved a lot during this secret training sessions of his, so at least Rosita was actually helping. Enid watched as Maggie adjusted the direction of the gun slightly, showing him the right position. There was really nothing else he needed help with, his posture and grip were perfect and he handled the weapon like an old friend.

Like her, he probably had to learn how to defend himself early. She found herself admiring the sleek grace of Carl with a gun in his hands, the way he handled the recoil, finger straight beside the trigger before bending it to shoot. The omega was hitting along the line marking the inner circle now, trying to emulate the position Maggie had put him in.

“That’s great!” Glenn exclaimed, looking impressed with Carl’s quick improvement over the course of the last hour. Enid knew better though, knew he had an entire week of practice before this.

If she hadn’t been watching him closely, eyes sliding down his back, she wouldn’t have seen it. He faltered for a second, bullet going somewhere into the bushes. This wasn’t an aiming mistake, he was getting tired (maybe even in pain). He lined another shot instead of stopping, but Enid had seen enough.

Her alpha instincts flared to the surface, the strong need to take care of her omega pushing her to speak for the first time since the shooting started.

“I think that’s enough for today.” The girl said, eyes going from her stubborn omega to Glenn. “We should go back.”

“You’re right. We can try again in a couple of days.” The beta agreed, reaching for the weapons bag.

Carl didn’t move from his spot though, adjusting his aim as if about to shoot again. Irritated, the girl raised her voice a little, “Carl.”

“It’s fine.” He replied, ignoring her.

“It’s not fine.” She shouted, striding forward to snatch the gun from his hands. It came away easily and they glared at each other.

It was only when he stepped away, turning back to help Maggie with the other packs, that she realized they had been close enough to kiss.

-

As they walked back into the community, the alpha refused to put up with this heavy atmosphere between her and Carl any longer. She knew it was partially her fault, letting her anger get the best of her as usual. But they _had_ agreed not to lie to each other. Mimicking her actions in the woods, she grabbed his forearm, halting his progress away from the gate.

“We’ll catch up later.” Enid announced, giving Maggie a pointed look and avoiding Glenn’s confused gaze. “Thank you for this.”

Carl stepped forward, shrugging her hand away as he and Maggie hugged. He breathed a, “Thank you,” into her hair. Glenn was next and he grinned at her omega proudly as they hugged too.

“Don’t stay out too late.” He told them, patting Carl’s shoulder a final time before reaching for his wife.

They watched the beta couple walk away, hand in hand, with the heavy weapons bag swung over Glenn’s shoulder.

“Come on.” Enid said, turning the other way and walking towards the lake.

Carl followed silently, eye anywhere but on her. Hands curling into firsts, she resisted the urge to touch him again. She was fully aware they were being ridiculous, but couldn’t push herself to make the first move again. Enid stopped far from the shore, sitting under the long shadow cast by one of few trees that hadn’t lost their leaves. The lake was still contaminated by walker fluids and gasoline, a reminder of that terrible night.

Her companion did the same, sitting close enough their knees brushed. Pulling her backpack off, the alpha searched inside for the plastic bottles she knew he needed. He had shrugged when she suggested bringing them, so she did.

“Thanks.” Carl mumbled, accepting the two tablets she passed him along with a water bottle.

“Tell me about this training.” She demanded, voice quiet in the silence.

“I throw darts at a board, that’s all.” He explained, bending forward slightly to meet her gaze. “Rosita has been mostly supervising, correcting my posture and so on.”

“You should have told me.” Enid said, knowing there was no way to control the relief in her rosemary scent. She wanted to hold on to her righteous anger, but darts were pretty harmless. Lying, on the other hand, was not.

“I know.”

“That’s why Rick put me in the afternoon shift, isn’t it? Because Rosita asked for the morning one.” The alpha huffed, feeling stupid for the jealousy bubbling inside her. If he had come to her she would have helped him earlier.

“Yeah.”

“And that’s why you’ve been so tired lately.” She was building up to a rant now, voice escalating as the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place. “You can’t just… You’re still healing, idiot. Something bad will happen if you keep overdoing it like this. You need a break.”

Carl’s acceptance seemed to have run it’s course and he interrupted, “I’ve been on a break since I lost my fucking eye, Enid. I’m sick of doing nothing, of being useless.”

“You’re not useless!” She shouted, throwing caution to the wind and gripping the sleave of his jacket tightly. The leather was soft in her hand, but her eyes were hard as she stared at him. “You got shot in the head. You almost died because an asshole couldn’t handle reality. But you survived, Carl! And I’m not losing you again.”

The alpha ran out of steam, panting from her outburst. She startled when his forehead rested against hers softly, their eyes still connected despite the contact.

“You’re not useless to me.” Enid whispered, nose touching his skin as she pressed closer. “That’s why I need you slow down. I _can’t_ lose you. Not to a bullet and not to an infection.”

“I’m sorry.” Carl said, a sad tilt to his mouth. “I didn’t think of that.”

Huffing, she pulled back to look at him properly as she deadpanned, “Obviously.”

“But I want to keep training. So we’re gonna have to compromise.” He continued, determination clear in his scent.

They studied each other silently while the alpha considered his words. She wanted his aim to improve too, only not at the expense of his health.

“How about this: two afternoons a week with the darts and I’ll try to negotiate us going outside unsupervised.” Enid proposed, leaning back against the tree trunk behind them. It was pretty reasonable.

“Three afternoons.” He tried with a cheeky smile, adjusting the leather jacket she gave him. “Because there’s no way we’re ever leaving those gates on our own.”

“Two afternoons for now and we’ll talk to Denise about this.” She countered, gathering enough courage to reach for his hand again. He let her, lacing their fingers together on her lap. “Who said we’ll leave through the gates?”

Chuckling, he leaned back beside her, their sides touching from shoulder to knee.

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Also, who else is excited to see Enid next episode? The sneak peak was great! Now if only we could get some Carl as well.)


	8. Official Day 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enid was clearly serious about taking him for a check up with Denise, since she dragged him out of bed bright and early a couple of days later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I'm posting chapter 8 already! I was outlining my last few chapters today and realized we're so close to the end now...
> 
> Hope you all like this chapter! :)

Enid was clearly serious about taking him for a check up with Denise, since she dragged him out of bed bright and early a couple of days later. He groaned and complained, still tired from his training with Rosita the day before.

“Why do we have to go so damn early?” Carl tried again, pulling on his favourite jacket (the leather one he got from his alpha) over a ratty long sleeved t-shirt. “I bet Denise won’t even be there yet.”

Rolling her eyes, Enid replied as he tied his boots, “Of course she’ll be there. Besides, you’re not meeting Rosita this afternoon.”

“I’m not?” The omega repeated, raising his eyebrow at the girl. She stood a couple of feet away from his place on the bed, arms crossed in front of her with an air of studied patience.

“Two afternoons, remember?” She said, grabbing his knife from the bedside table. “We’re doing something else later.”

“Fine.” He grumbled, watching as she came closer to carefully slide the knife securely between his belt and his jeans.

The girl smiled at his reluctant tone, fingers pulling him closer by the belt loops. The kiss was expected, her lips landing on the corner of his. Carl chased after her, unable to hold on to his annoyance. Their mouths met properly this time, the kiss slow and languid, no rush to it. Her intoxicating rosemary scent filled his nose, mixing perfectly with his own petrichor in the air.

Carl really, really, wanted to smell like his alpha the rest of the day. It was like an itch, buzzing under his skin.

“Ready?” She asked when they separated, zipping his jacket closed.

“Yeah.” He answered, not feeling ready at all.

`The omega wanted her to scent mark him, to spread her rosemary tones on his neck and clothes so everyone would know he belonged to her. Unsure how to ask, he kept quiet, wondering if she wanted to do it too. But the itch stayed with him.

-

His dad and Michonne were eating breakfast by the time they reached the living room, Judith babbling excitedly when she saw him. He had been neglecting his sister lately, going from spending entire days with her to barely a couple of hours before he put her to bed.

“Morning.” The boy greeted, approaching the table to kiss Judy on her wiry curls. He wondered if she got those from Rick, like he did.

Judith offered him a spoon full of baby food in return, her little mouth open as if to show him what to do.

“Don’t think your bother will like that very much, Judy.” Rick said with a chuckle, fondness clear in his citrus scent. Michonne laughed with him, distracting his sister with another colourful plastic spoon. They almost had more of those than regular cutlery.

Carl turned back to his silent alpha, catching her watching the interaction with heated eyes. She stood by the kitchen counter, a bowl in front of her and a bag of cereal on her hands. Exhaling carefully (and hoping like hell the other two hadn’t seen the way she was looking at him), he joined her.

“Are you eating with us?” Carl spoke quietly, touching one of her hands softly.

She stared at him for a moment, before releasing the bag to run her fingers through his instead.

“I ate with Glenn, he’s out at the field already.” Enid told him, nodding to the empty bowl. “This is for you.”

Feeling warm and brave, he kissed her on the cheek in reply. She was too good for him.

“Go sit down, idiot.” She shooed him with a pleased smile, serving a generous amount of cereal into the bowl.

-

After breakfast, Rick levelled them with a stern look and a warning to be back for lunch. Carl swallowed his laugh at the way the girl beside him tried to bend her neck in respect and nod at the same time. She’d never believe him if he told her, but he knew his dad was just as amused. The older man kept his expression serious until they both agreed though. Michonne waved at them from the porch, Judith mimicking her clumsily.

They walked calmly towards the infirmary, hands entwined between them. The morning air was crisp and clean, grey clouds covering most of the sky. It had rained yesterday evening, the heavy dollops causing Enid to rush from her house to his and staying (instead of taking him down the usual trek to _their_ house). They behaved in front of his family, even managing to convince the others to join their Uno game. Rick and Carol already knew how to play, but they had to teach Michonne and Daryl.

It was a good night, filled with laugher and mock fights over who gave who a +4 card.

“What are you thinking about?” Enid asked him, pulling him away from the memory. She was watching him again, not as intensely this time, but it still made him shiver.

“Daryl rage quitting after Carol threw him a second +4 yesterday.” He admitted, grinning at her.

“Okay, that was good. But my favourite part was when we ganged up on Michonne.” The alpha added, happiness in the air around them as she gestured with her free hand. “I think she went from a single card to ten in under five minutes.”

“We should do that again sometime.” Carl said, as they approached the white house of the infirmary. He realized the way it sounded when she raised her eyebrows at him. “I meant the game night, not ganging up on Michonne.”

“We can do both.”

He was so fucking in love with her, he thought, eye fixed on her playful smile.

The good humour of the moment vanished as they climbed the porch steps, the omega wishing he could be anywhere else. If it weren’t for the determined girl holding his hand, he would’ve bolted by now. They walked inside instead, the door unlocked (and apparently Enid only knocked on selected doors).

“Just give me a second and I’ll be right there.” Denise announced from somewhere further into the house.

Carl shrugged when the alpha turned to him, secretly relieved to get a couple of extra minutes without putting his disfiguration on the spotlight. She tried to pull him towards one of the beds though, glaring when he resisted.

“Come on, she’s going to make you sit there anyway. You know that.” Enid reasoned, squeezing his hand.

With an exaggerated sigh (and making a point of dragging his feet), he released her hand and walked the last few steps towards the bed.

“Satisfied?” He asked sarcastically, sitting down and patting the bed next to him. It was technically a patient bed and not meant for a perfectly healthy person, but that was exactly why he wanted her to join him.

“Very.” She replied in the same tone, promptly sitting beside him.

Easy when you don’t have a disgusting hole in your head.

“Hey, Carl. Enid.” Denise finally returned, depositing the extra towels she was carrying on the closest bed. “Everything okay? Your check up is not for a couple of days.”

“Everything’s fine.” Carl told her, wanting to get this over with and go as quickly as possible. “It’s not about that.”

“It is actually.” Enid interrupted, nudging his knee with hers. “Carl wants to start exercising his aim and _we_ would like to know how much he should be doing right now.”

“It’s a good idea.” The beta said, adjusting her glasses as she pulled a yellow tennis ball from one of the cupboards. “This would make a good start. Try bouncing it at a wall and catching it afterwards, should start honing your aim again.”

“Thank you.” His alpha answered for him, taking the offered ball. It would’ve sounded like an awesome plan if he hadn’t held a gun in his hands not forty-eight hours ago. “We had another idea that could compliment this one though.”

“Darts.” Carl blurted, trying to stick to the plan they agreed on. Bring the idea to Denise, let her give the okay _then_ go to his dad about starting the training. Rosita had been warned to pretend he had just asked her about this. “There’s a board and a few darts that I could use as target practice as well. Would that work?”

The doctor narrowed her eyes at them, searching for something he really hoped she wouldn’t find. Seeming satisfied, she said, “Okay, sure. I think that would help too.”

“Thanks.” He breathed, relieved that she was agreeing with this. Enid nudged his knee again at the words, this time keeping them pressed together.

“But!” She added, pointing at him with a stern look. “You’re not allowed to over do it. Two hours with either the ball or the darts a day is the longest you’re allowed to exercise _and_ you have to take plenty of breaks and drink lots of water.”

“I’ll make sure he sticks to those rules.” Enid agreed, her firm tone leaving no room for argument.

The omega made a face at the words, knowing she was not going to let this go. It was childish, he knew, but it made him feel better (even though he also knew they were both right). The alpha slid off the bed, turning sideways to throw him an _I told you so_ look.

“I promise to be careful.” He said, ready to be as far away from this place as possible. Preferably before the beta decided she wanted to examine him.

He was too late though.

“Good. I want to check your wound before you go. Just to make sure everything is going smoothly.” Denise added and he shifted uncomfortably on the bed, the sheets rustling under him. “Enid, could you step outside for a minute please? I work better without an audience.”

Carl relaxed at the words, holding back a grateful smile. He’d thank her once his alpha was out of earshot, not wanting to offend her.

“Oh, sure. I’ll be right outside.” Enid said, pointing towards the door with a tight-lipped smile. If she knew what was hidden under his bandages there wouldn’t be so much sadness in her rosemary scent.

“Thank you.” Denise smiled back, before walking towards one of the cabinets.

The two of them locked eyes while the doctor’s back was turned, Carl tugging on his jacket nervously and Enid with her lips pressed together. He looked away first, fisting the sheets under him. It would only be for a couple of minutes, but he didn’t want to watch her walk away. He wished he were braver, that he could ask her to stay and hold his hand. But he wasn’t and he didn’t.

“Come out when you’re done.” She whispered, and he could see her boots from the corner of his eye as she turned away.

Flinching at the sound of the closing door, the omega tried to focus on his knees. He hoped she wasn’t hurt about being asked to leave, she must have realized by now how uncomfortable any mention of his wound made him.

“You should show her, you know?” Denise said suddenly, standing in front of him again. She held extra gauze and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. “Do you want to take the bandage off or should I?”

“I’ll do it.” Carl replied, ignoring her first question. Enid would never have to see the grotesque hole in his head. Not if he could help it.

The beta waited as he unwrapped the layers of gauze from his head carefully, the final part coming away from his wound with a disgusting slick sound. He swallowed back the bile in his throat, trying not to show the doctor how much he hated that part of himself. Denise tilted his head up towards the ceiling, his bangs sliding away to reveal the gaping space where a baby blue eye should have been.

“Everything looks okay. No infection.” She talked to herself as much as to him, not expecting an answer. “Keep cleaning it everyday and it should be okay. How has the pain been?”

“Manageable.” Carl told her, not wanting to admit how painful it had been initially. It wasn’t so bad now, but he still had to be careful not to let Judith poke the strange gauze on his face. Not unless he wanted to cry, that is. “The painkillers help a lot.”

“That’s to be expected. Come see me if it gets too bad or ask Enid to come and get me.” The beta told him, before starting the process of cleaning and rewrapping his wound. They were both silent during it and Carl jumped off the bed as soon as she was done. “It’s okay to take a break if you need one, okay?”

“Thank you.” He said emphatically, not sure if he meant it for saving his life or for sending Enid away. Or both.

-

Enid was sitting on the porch steps when he came out, twirling her knife between her hands.

“Are you decent?” She asked, not looking at him. He winced at her tone, barely repressed bitterness coming through loud and clear.

“Yeah.” Carl sighed, walking forward to stand next to her on the step. She did get offended then. “Sorry about… It’s just not a very pretty sight.”

“Whatever.”

He followed her away from the infirmary, the silence like a physical weight on his shoulders. Of course she didn’t understand and he knew explaining would only make things worst.

“Where are we going?” The omega tried, stepping closer to the angry girl. He wanted to hold her hand again, but she’d probably not allow that.

“I’m taking you home.” Was the terse reply. “I’ll come back for lunch.”

-

Lunch was nice, with most of the family joining them. Rosita, Sasha and Daryl were missing, each out doing their jobs. There would be a post lunch shift change and then it would be Enid’s turn to go up the wall. She seemed to have let her bitterness about his wound go in the time they were apart, siting beside him on the table with their legs touching underneath.

-

When the food ended his family scattered, each of them back to their jobs, including Enid. As the only one currently doing absolutely nothing with his time (besides training, but today was a rest day apparently), he offered to walk with her. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, even though the wall shifts were only four hours each and he’d see her soon anyway.

“You up for a date?” His alpha asked, reaching for his hand. The two of them were walking down the main street, heading towards the gate and the platform.

“Sure. After your shift?” Carl replied, happy she was talking to him again. That she still wanted this courtship.

“Yeah, I’ll come and get you when I’m done here.” She told him with a smile, squeezing his hand. “And I have another present for you.”

“Really?” Carl was surprised, she had given him so much already. He knew it was standard courting practice for alphas to shower omegas with gifts, but there were only so many things she could give him now. And besides, no gift would change how he felt about her. “What is it?”

“You’ll see.” The girl said, stopping in front of the platform stairs. She rose on her toes to reach his mouth, giving him a quick kiss.

Carl had gotten taller in the time since they met and now there was a considerable height difference between them. He would usually bend to accommodate, especially when they kissed, their lips meeting halfway. Or she’d pull him by the neck (the feeling sending tingles down his spine) and position him however she wanted. This was different, but it didn’t matter how she kissed him as long as she did.

“Okay.” He whispered, a little dazed from the kiss and the way she was smiling at him. “I’ll see you soon.”

The omega got another kiss for that.

-

He spent the hours Enid was occupied with Judith, _politely_ letting Olivia know he’d look after her for the time being. And that she could go be useful elsewhere and come back later. Carl didn’t need help to take care of his sister, he had been doing it since she was born. They played with her plush cubes for a while, before her eyelids started to drop. It was clearly naptime and Judy liked to hear stories before sleeping. He read her one about a baby elephant until she was lulled to sleep.

It lulled him to sleep too and they napped together on the couch, the toddler lying against the back cushions while he kept her from falling off the edge.

-

“Hey.” A quiet voice woke him and he blinked up at Enid. His neck was stiff from being in the same position for so long, but Judy was sprawled on her side of the cushion comfortably. “My shift’s over.”

“Already?” He whispered back, carefully sitting up. “Is Olivia back yet?”

“You said four o’clock.” The woman herself replied, smiling at him from the kitchen area. She never seemed phased by his moods. “Did you feed her yet?”

“Not yet.” Carl said, cracking his neck. He stopped when his alpha touched him though, hands carefully pressing against the knotted skin at the top of his spine. Her hands were cold under the collar of his shirt, probably from holding a machinegun for so long, but it felt wonderful.

“Alright, I’ll do it. You two lovebirds can go.” Olivia sounded amused and the omega flushed when he realized she was watching them.

“C’mon,” Enid breathed, stopping her ministrations. “My house is empty.”

He snorted, standing from the couch and stretching. It relaxed his tense muscles a little, but he startled when his alpha stepped closer. Her cold hands sneaked under the raised hem of his shirt to curl around his hips. Going to her house sounded like something they should do _right now_.

“Let’s go.” Carl grabbed one of her hands, pulling her along as he bent to slip his boots back on. Giving Judith a forehead kiss, he took his jacket from the back of the couch and walked outside. “Bye, Olivia.”

If she replied he didn’t hear it, the door firmly closed behind them.

“Sorry.” The girl apologized, her lips twisted into a frown. “I shouldn’t have touched you like that in front of Olivia.”

“It’s fine, I liked it.” He soothed her, shrugging. It did embarrass him a little to know she saw that tender moment between them, but he wasn’t ashamed of it.

“Still.” She insisted, adjusting her hand so she could pull him along this time. “Let’s get your present, then I’m taking you somewhere.”

“Where?”

Enid smiled mysteriously in reply.

-

“Here.” His alpha said, presenting a backpack to him. They were up in her room, the house indeed empty around them.

“Cool!” He exclaimed, accepting it. The backpack was similar to the one she had, big with plenty of zippers. It was blue though, almost as dark as the night sky.

“You like it?” She asked, grinning as she watched him explore the endless pockets. “This way I won’t have to carry everything all the time.”

“Haha.” Carl laughed sarcastically, running his hand through the largest pocket. There was even a small sleeve where he could fit some comics. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Her voice was smug and he laughed at her self-satisfied expression.

“Alright, where’s this secret place you’re taking me and do I need this?” The omega shook his backpack at her, rolling his eyes when she levelled him with a _duh_ look. “Obviously, okay I get it.”

-

It was obvious where they were going when the tall gates of Alexandria loomed in front of them. Eugene fumbled to pull them open when Enid raised her eyebrows at him, Carl waving to where Rosita and Abraham stood watching them a couple of feet away. Nobody stopped them, despite the Latina shaking her head in disapproval and Gabriel looking like he wanted to say something from his place in the platform.

Word would certainly get back to his parental figures, but at least his alpha had spared him the humiliation of trying to scale the wall.

The woods weren’t quiet, not like the way Alexandria sometimes was. Leaves rustled in the wind, birds called to each other and woodland critters ran underfoot. The tall metal walls that kept them safe also isolated them from the rest of the world. It was worth it, he was aware of that better than anyone, but he had missed being outside. Following in his alpha’s footsteps Carl let himself enjoy the feeling of freedom, one he hadn’t managed to appreciate much the last time he came out here (too busy fighting with Enid and witnessing how fucked up his aim really was).

Enid guided them down a well-known path, one they had taken a thousand times before. Whenever one of them got restless, they’d find each other and head out here. There was even a chest where they kept some comic issues they had double of and emergency rations. It had been about four weeks since they had come this way, between the initial attack and his recovery.

“I cleared off some of the food when I left, but I brought us sandwiches.” She said quietly, taking a turn into an area less densely packed with trees, the sun making an appearance through the canopy. Voices tended to carry out here.

“Did Glenn make them?” Carl asked, craving the man’s especial sandwiches. He used to make them at the prison (their last stable home before Alexandria), and the omega was always the first in line to get one.

“It’s leftover from dinner last night, so I have no idea. He gave them to me though.” Enid replied, slowing her pace to match his. They walked the rest of the way side by side, the tall grass slowing their progress slightly. “Why?”

A little defensively, he admitted, “He makes good sandwiches, okay?”

“Seriously?” The girl questioned amusedly, shaking her head at the thought. “Now that I have to try.”

They arrived at the fallen trunk after passing a couple of trees, the chest still there and only looking somewhat worse for wear. The alpha took her backpack off and sat, the grass shorter on this side. Carl did the same, his own brand new (for post apocalyptic standards) backpack lying beside him. Neither of them could remember which issues were stored in the trunk, so they brought more comics with them.

It had warmed up slightly since the morning, the sun peeking through some of the clouds. The day was perfect for this, not too hot and not unbearably cold either. The ground could have been a little less damp, but beggars can’t be choosers. They settled in, a comic and sandwich each. He had really missed Glenn’s sandwiches.

They hadn’t been there an hour when something rustled ahead, it sounded too big to be harmless and they jumped to their feet.

Enid knotted her hand on his shirt, trying to pull him back, “C’mon.”

He let her do it, grabbing his backpack and stepping over the trunk. She hid inside a tree, the hollow space big enough for the two of them. Just as he slid in in front of her, Carl froze, eye widening when he realized what he was looking at.

“Enid.” He whispered, trying to get her to look as well without getting its attention.

“Is it gone?” The alpha asked back, one hand still tight on the fabric of his shirt while the other held her knife at the ready.

“No.” Making a decision, Carl left their hiding spot, untangling himself from the girl’s grip and raising his knife. “Go get Spencer.”

“What? Come back here now.” She ordered, half of her body still inside the trunk. “Just leave it.”

“It’s Deanna, I’m not leaving it.” He explained through clenched teeth, stepping away from the bushes to keep the walker in his line of sight. “ _Go get Spencer._ ”

When she gasped, he knew she’d seen it too. The rotten corpse their former leader had become, still fresher than some of the nastier ones but impossible to be confused for anything else. The omega held her back when she tried to advance towards it, the sound of her feet alerting it to a fresh meal.

“Shit.” He cursed, both of them stumbling back together when it tripped over the fallen trunk, landing face first in front of them. “Just go already! I’ll keep it busy, take it closer to the wall.”

“What the hell are you talking about? We have to kill it.”

“Get Spencer and we will.”

Huffing, with anger souring her rosemary scent, she went. The sound of her running raised the walker’s interest and it clumsily started dragging itself to its feet. Carl took advantage of how unsteady it was to push it down again, the trunk doing its job in making sure it fell. Positioning himself a good distance away, he let it get up properly this time before whistling. It turned to him, obediently giving chase as he brought it closer to the community.

He avoided the gates, sticking under the cover of the trees and out of Gabriel’s sight. His heart jumped when he heard more footsteps, knowing he couldn’t handle too many walkers at once.

“Carl!”

Enid. Relaxing slightly, he stepped around the walker to see his alpha approaching with Spencer in tow.

Now the son had to put his mother down a second time.

-

“What was that out there? Do you want to get yourself killed?” Enid shouted as soon as the door closed behind them, sounding too loud in the silence of the house.

The day had been a roller coaster and their first venture to the outside by themselves was a failure. Honestly, Carl wasn’t sure why he’d expected any different.

“No.” He shouted back, anger boiling under his skin. The memories of that horrible day were too close to the surface for him let her talk to him like that. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“I never will if you don’t explain it to me! Not just this, but about your eye too.” The girl calmed down a little, her face still twisted in anger. She was scared, he realized, scared of losing him. To an outside threat or to himself.

“You’re right.” Taking a deep breath, Carl tried to push his feelings away as he continued, “Are you sure you want to know this?”

“Of course I am.” She scoffed, marching to the couch. “When are you going to believe this is for real? _Us_.”

“I…” Not sure how to answer that, the omega joined her. On either side of the couch, they were siting as far apart as possible and he didn’t know if he could tell the story like this. “What happened to Deanna, it… it happened to my mom. Kind of.”

“Carl…” She breathed his name, remorse creeping into the word.

He continued without looking at her, knowing that he’d never finish if he stopped now.

“She was pregnant with Judith while we were on the run, after Hershel’s farm was overrun. We found a prison though and made it ours. That’s where she died. Walkers were streaming in from a hole in the fence, too many. Maggie and I took her to the boiler room, hoping to keep her safe from them. She started getting contractions."

A soft touch on his hand made him pause, his alpha scooting closer until their sides were touching. Her hand curled over his.

Inhaling her calming rosemary scent, he pushed on, “Maggie had to… had to cut her open to get Judith out. She screamed so much I can still hear it sometimes. My sister was okay, but my mom wasn’t. She lost too much blood and we had nothing to… sew her back together. I shot her in the head, before she could become one of those _things_.”

“I’m so, so sorry.” Enid said quietly, leaning over to press her forehead against his temple. “You said you had to shoot her. I shouldn’t have forced you to tell me now.”

“You didn’t.” Carl croaked, his throat suddenly dry. “I’d have told you eventually anyway.”

“We go at your pace, okay?” She insisted, pulling back a little to lock eyes with him. “You don’t _have_ to tell me anything.”

“Okay.”

-

Whoever had previously owned the first Spider-Man movie, also happened to have the sequel and after the day they had Enid figured they deserved this. She moved back to her side of the couch, Carl stretched over the rest of it with his head on her lap. One of her hands had drifted to his hair early on, the other leaning on the armrest while holding her head up.

It was the most peaceful she’d been in a while.

“Do you ever think we might be the last people on Earth?” Enid asked suddenly, staring at the credits rolling across the screen. She knew Carl had turned to look at her, but she couldn’t do the same just yet.

“We aren’t. We can’t be.” He replied, voice sure. “We saw that, people died.”

“I guess.”

Fingertips running through her hair softly made her lower her eyes to his. Carl was smiling at her from his place on her thighs, his own hair was a mess of curls and his bandage was askew. She couldn’t see the wound underneath and a part of her wanted to pull the offending gauze the rest of the way off, another part itched to smooth it back into place. Making him uncomfortable to satisfy her curiosity was the last thing she wanted though, so her hands stayed put.

“Hey, do want to nest with me?” He blurted the question, changing the subject entirely.

Nest with him? What kind of question was that? Of course she wanted to, had longed for it since the night she first helped him build one. His cheeks turned red as she stared at him and it made her want to kiss him.

“Yes.”

They relocated to her bedroom, her omega going ahead while she grabbed all the extra blankets she could find. This was going to be the best nest he had ever made, she was going to make sure of it. Carl was standing there nervously when she walked in, perking up at the multitude of blankets in her arms.

“This is how I usually build my nests.” He explained, starting the process of carefully arranging them on the bed. “Can you pass me the big blue one?”

“Sure.” The alpha said, the fluffy blanket exchanging hands.

They continued like this, happy to be in each other’s presence. Enid was humbled to be sharing this experience with him, even if all she was doing right now was holding the blankets. It took some time for Carl to stop fussing with his construction, tucking this here and pulling that there until he was satisfied.

“Done.” Her omega told her, kicking off his boots and draping his jacket over her chair (the alpha did the same). “You can get in if you want.”

“Uhh.” She looked at the mountain of blankets and balked, sure she would bring the whole thing down if she tried. “Show me how?”

“Yeah, here.” Carl chuckled, expertly getting inside without destroying anything. Extending a hand to her, he said, “I’ll help you, come on.”

Enid took it, climbing in with as little damage as possible. The boy still had to tuck bits back in, but judging by the serene look on his face he didn’t care. She snuggled closer when he settled back, tangling their legs together under the layers of blankets and resting her head on his chest.

There was nowhere else she’d rather be than right here, nesting with the omega she loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALSO WE'RE GETTING CARNID NEXT EP I'M SO EXCITED!


End file.
